Happily Ever After
by Raserei Hojo
Summary: FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In separate worlds, two men died. They were brought together in the darkness and a friendship began to grow. In an attempt to see an opera, magic is used, and witchcraft is called. MxM
1. Woefully Dark

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Woefully Dark  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In two separate worlds, two young men with different goals died. In the darkness, they meet. But, within a short amount of time, will their souls be erased from time as the law states?  
**Rating: **T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

**-------------------------------**

Bitter darkness managed to weave its way into everything; into his body, making him stiff; into his lungs, making him struggle to breathe. It was an utterly unpleasant feeling. If this was hell, it was unusually quiet and empty. The silver haired youth wondered why.

"Am I dead? Is this my punishment for trying to live?" He lay there, or perhaps he was floating. Whatever was underneath his stretched out body seemed solid enough. He rested the back of his palm against his forehead and sighed. "Is this truly my fate? To be alone for eternity?"

Staring at the never ending darkness made his stomach churn. Needlessly, he closed his eyes and huffed a heavy breath of air. "I miss the color of things," he stated blandly. "I also feel very self-conscious, talking to myself to stay entertained. If this isn't death, I'll simply go insane until I **am **dead."

He frowned, discontented that his voice didn't echo. "Why are you doing this to me?" he shouted into the nothingness. He sat up, propped on his elbows. "I know there has to be someone there. If you don't answer me, I'll..."

"Shut up."

The young man obeyed, though not strictly out of obedience, out of surprise and fear. The silence didn't last for very long though. He stood and brushed off the clothing he couldn't see. "So, I was right."

"You've been here for what couldn't be more than two weeks, and you've rambled to yourself until even **I've **become senseless. Stop it."

"Who are you?"

"I don't need to answer to you. I don't need to answer to anyone anymore."

Stretching out his arms in a vain attempt to find the male speaker, the young man shuffled forward, trying to continue the conversation. "Can't you at least tell me where we are?"

"No."

He sighed, retracting his arms, standing still. "Is that because you don't want to tell me? Or...is it because you simply don't hold that knowledge yourself?"

"Just shut up, will you. Your voice is giving me a headache."

"No. I want to know your name. Here, I'll help you even, my name is Kuja. I'm from Terra." When he didn't receive an answer, he continued. "I was created by a man named Garland and sent to cause chaos and continental wars on Gaia. But...I was just a prototype, you could say. I wasn't meant to outlive another creature Garland created after me. I have...no, had, a time limit on my life. Long story short, I tried to do the only fair thing and kill everyone else so I wouldn't have to die alone."

"You're just talking to yourself again, you do realize that."

Kuja clenched his hands into fists. "Don't you have any respect? Dignity? Anything relating to human emotions?"

"Why contradict yourself?"

"I am not contradicting myself!" shouted Kuja.

"Yes you are. You said you were created by another man. This makes you non-human. And this, being non-human, you can't possibly have human emotions now, can you?"

Kuja's arms limply dropped to his side. He had never really thought about it like that before. He glared into the darkness, anger rising within him. "Who are you?" he demanded again.

"We're the only ones here, you know."

"That wasn't what I asked you," Kuja sourly replied. "I asked you who you were. I don't want other facts right now, I want your name!"

"And why should I give you my name? What deems you worthy to be the keeper of my name? I most certainly don't believe you worthy to know my name."

"And what is it that gives you the right to be so cocky with me! All I'm asking of you is your name, nothing else. Is that so hard to give me? Or maybe, you don't have a name."

The other man didn't reply for a while, leaving Kuja to stand there feeling very vulnerable. "My name is Sephiroth."

"Thank you." Kuja slowly sat back down. "Why wouldn't you tell me before?"

"Why don't you just shut up already?"

"I hate it when my questions are answered with questions. You're doing this on purpose."

"Of course I am. Eventually, you'll get the idea and you'll shut up like I've asked you to several times."

Standing once again, Kuja huffed and lashed out his arms, focusing on casting a spell. He had tried many times before, but all that he had ever managed to do was create a few sparks of a dying flame. He concentrated hard, feeling the warmth envelop his arm. Releasing the built up energy, Kuja held his breath and waited.

Nothing happened. Nothing until the quiet laughter of Sephiroth shook the silence and grew louder until Kuja shouted for him to stop. With a sigh, the mage buried his face into his hands. "You enjoy this, don't you?"

"Perhaps. Why don't you go to sleep and wait until the morning to be childish?"

Sulking, Kuja silently obeyed the voice. There was nothing else to do, and he was tired of this Sephiroth person constantly mocking him. "There's a morning here?"

"There is morning, day, and night everywhere. You don't have to see it to know it's there."

Kuja closed his eyes, the cold ground stealing any warmth of his face. "Well, good night then. I don't suppose you deserve a good night, but it's good manners to wish your companion a good night."

"Whatever. Enjoy your rest."


	2. Initial Encounter

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Initial Encounter  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In two separate worlds, two young men with different goals died. In the darkness, they meet. But, within a short amount of time, will their souls be erased from time as the law states?  
**Rating: **T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

**-------------------------------**

Frost must have been covered the ground a while after Kuja had fallen asleep. His body's natural reaction was to shiver, which woke him up several times during his sleep. He lay there with his eyes closed the entire time in hopes of finding warmth in his sleep. The argument with that Sephiroth person had really wore him out. As the minutes crawled by, Kuja angrily found that he was growing restless. With a sleepy groan, he pulled his face from the crook of his arm, hauling himself into a sitting position. Sighing heavily, he opened his eyes and looked around his world which was no longer depressingly black.

Kuja was sitting on some kind of cobblestone road that didn't particularly seem to have an end. Excited with his new discovery, he jumped to his feet and eagerly looked around. Confusion soon masked his features as he realized he was the only one in his 'private' prison.

"Oh, just lovely! I can't believe I was talking to myself for so long that my brain invented an imaginary friend." Kuja shook his head and ran a hand through his silver hair. "The silver in my hair looks gray." His eyes took in the condition of his clothing. "At least my clothes are fine. But still, I can't help but feel I need a bath."

Looking around his prison again, he realized that chances of soaking in a soothing hot bath where non-existant. "How cruel. At the very least, couldn't I have been locked in some place like a house!"

The mist clinging to the ground became suffocating to Kuja. Glaring around in search for Sephiroth, he took a few steps forward with absolutely no idea where he was going.

"Sephiroth! Where are you?" he called out hopelessly. "I know you're here. You've got to be here. I'm not quite that insane yet!" He waited for an answer, grumbling when he received none. Refusing to believe Sephiroth was a figment of his imagination, he continued. "I swear, I will hunt you down and Magick you until you're dead, or as close to dead as you can get here. We **are **dead, aren't we?"

Silence. Not even the sound of wind reached his ears. "Sephiroth...? You're not a figment of my imagination, right? Please say no." Kuja wrapped his arms around his waist. "Say anything!" _Perhaps my mind did create him..._

"Do you ever stop rambling?"

Kuja gasped, spinning around. _Or not, _he concluded. His ocean-blue eyes blinked, staring at a broad chest with crisscrossed leather straps. Hesitantly, he forced his eyes to travel upward. "Sephiroth, I take it?" Now that there was proof, Kuja didn't feel so alone or afraid anymore, and he most certainly didn't feel insane anymore. He was confident that there would be a way out.

"Kuja." Sephiroth sardonically stated.

"Yes, that's my name. When you say it though, it seems wrong." Kuja quirked an eyebrow, trying to forget about the short lapse of concentration on his surroundings. If Sephiroth had wanted, he probably could have shoved a dagger through his back. He swallowed dryly at the thought and forced himself to glare into the other man's eerie deep green eyes.

Sephiroth ran a leather gloved hand through his mass of long silver hair, smirking maliciously. "So?"

"Arrogant, aren't we." Kuja glared moodily at the tall man. "You think you know everything."

"Maybe I do know everything, have you ever thought about that?"

Kuja crossed his arms over his chest. "No one knows everything."

The smile on Sephiroth's face twisted into a dark scowl. "Just who do you think you are, talking to me like that." He advanced towards Kuja. "Do you think you're a god or something? Do you think you're better than me?"

Backing away slightly, fully aware that Sephiroth was a full head higher and twice as muscular, Kuja gathered his courage once more. "Well, who do **you **think you are? Do you think you're the ruler of this place? Because obviously, you're not. You most certainly don't look very bright, and I bet you've been here for years without figuring the way out of here."

Both of Sephiroth's brows were raised. "I think **you're **the arrogant one. I gather that from the way you dress, you like to show off."

Kuja rested his hands on his hips. "Maybe I do."

"It's not an accusation really. It's a true fact. I can tell." Sephiroth leaned forward to more clearly examine Kuja's attire. "You should be wearing pants over...what is it, a thong?"

"What I wear is none of your concern! I could walk around with nothing on except the thong, and I wouldn't give a damn about what you think."

Sephiroth shrugged and rested a hand on his waist. Kuja watched him, noticing the hilt of an extremely long and narrow sword strapped to the man's side. Sephiroth smiled keenly as he watched Kuja's eyes widen with fear. "Do you like my sword? It's called the Masamune."

"You...you name your sword?" _It must be a seriously lethal killing weapon._

"Hmm, I didn't name it, but I do like the sound of it, so, I kept the title." He tilted his head sideways, still grinning. "It can cut through Mythril. Yes, I said Mythril."

Kuja gave a feeble smile and nodded. "I-I see."

"It can cut through flesh quite easily... It's been covered in blood many times, but it's never once actually stained the metal. Amazing, isn't it."

"Yes. It... it is." Kuja took a shaky breath and tried to calm himself down. "It's very amazing indeed." _He's trying to scare me off, isn't he?_

Sephiroth continued to watch him, staring at Kuja as if the younger man was to be the next victim of the Masamune. The smile on his face was looking much more pleasant now. Suddenly he lunged forward, sword drawn.

"Ah!" Kuja quickly staggered back, desperately wishing magic worked in Hell.

The older man skidded to a stop an inch away from Kuja and leaned over him. "Boo."

Kuja growled and shoved him back. "What the hell did you do that for?"

Sephiroth shrugged again and straightened. "I don't know." He brushed his hair behind his shoulders and turned, heading off into the distance. "You scare very easily."

Breathing heavy, Kuja placed a hand over his chest to feel his rapidly beating heart. "You're insane," he said breathlessly. "And **where **do you think you're going?"

"To find the way out. Care to join me?"

Kuja scoffed and looked aside. "Not really."

Sephiroth shrugged once more and rotated his shoulders a bit. "Suit yourself. I don't care, I was just showing that I have 'manners'. I would prefer if you didn't come anyway."

Snarling, Kuja stomped after the swordsman. "Oh shut up."

Sephiroth glanced back at him. "I thought you didn't want to come."

"I don't."

"And yet, you're following me."

"Consider it payback for trying to scare me senseless."


	3. Glimmer of Hope

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Glimmer of Hope  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In two separate worlds, two young men with different goals died. In the darkness, they meet. But, within a short amount of time, will their souls be erased from time as the law states?  
**Rating: **T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

**-------------------------------**

"My feet hurt," the Genome complained, grumbling to himself as he stalked behind Sephiroth. "How long have we been walking anyway?"

"Only for a couple of hours." Sephiroth suspiciously eyed his younger companion. "Those boots must be uncomfortable. They look more suitable for a fashion show than for a hike in the wilderness."

Kuja glared icily. "Don't patronize me. And we're **not **in the wilderness. Do you see any tress? Any bushes? Animals? Didn't think so."

Sephiroth reached back and grabbed Kuja's arm. "Now look, piss me off." He shoved the man ahead of him. "Now keep walking and stop complaining. You're the one that offered to come anyway, so shut up already."

Pouting, Kuja crossed his arms over his chest and walked as he had been ordered to. "I don't feel safe with you walking behind me like that. Who knows what evil thoughts are going through your head right now?"

"Did you ever think that I might attempt to kill you if you don't shut up?"

"...No." Kuja swallowed dryly again. He had been doing this for quite some time, and it was bothering him.

Sephiroth sighed and shook his head. "Why did you want to come along anyway?"

Folding his hands behind his back, Kuja stretched and turned his head sideways. "I don't know. I thought it would be better than heading out alone. Anything could be out here and it's best that neither of us are alone. And besides, we're both headed to the same place, are we not?" His eyes softened as he turned to look ahead again. "We need to keep each other's morale up as well."

"I see."

"No you don't. You think it's funny."

"I don't believe I said that... Kuja, was it?"

Kuja sighed, frustrated. "Why do you keep forgetting my name? It's not like it's common, it should stick to the memory right away."

"That's why I can't remember it. It's very unique."

"And is that a compliment?"

"If you want it to be." Sephiroth shook his head and stared down at the cracked ground. "It's just that I've never taken a liking to 'unique things'. They've always been a bother."

Kuja kicked at a rock and missed. He huffed and walked faster, angry at the rock.

"It's not like it moved."

He blinked and spun around. "What?"

"The rock." Sephiroth pointed at the pebble Kuja had tried to kick. "It didn't move."

"Well, of course not! I missed when I kicked at it."

Sephiroth tilted his head. "I know. But you shouldn't get so mad. The rock didn't move, so it's not the reason you missed."

Kuja put his hands on his hips. "So then, what **was **the reason why I missed?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "Bad aim."

Growling, Kuja bent down and scooped up another rock. "I'll show you bad aim!" He wound his arm up and hurled the rock at the swordsman who simply leaned to the right and avoided the rock.

"Don't even say anything, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth held up his hands in consent.

"Not even a word."

"Right. Not a word." Sephiroth stretched and rested a hand on the hilt of the Masamune. "Not a single word."

Kuja suspiciously eyed the sword before turning his back towards Sephiroth again. "Good."

For a few more excruciating hours, the duo continued to walk forward. Kuja grew impatient, and Sephiroth grew annoyed.

"When are we going to get to some civilization?" Kuja sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again. "This isn't fair."

"We'll get there when we get there. Or maybe we're expected to walk around this wasteland for the rest of our undead lives."

"We're not vampires you know."

"Well, you're not. I on the other hand..."

Kuja stopped in his tracks and stared wide-eyed ahead. "What?"

"Kidding, kidding. You don't have to get so shocked every time I say something."

"Will you quit joking around?"

Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest and leaned forward. "Once I feel you're trying hard not to pester me, then I will leave you alone."

Smiling a vampiric smile, he straightened and stood stiff. Still smiling, he examined Kuja for the umpteenth time.

Tilting his head back at the swordsman, Kuja frowned. "Stop that. It makes you seem like you really **are **a vampire."

Sephiroth shrugged and marched ahead of Kuja. "Come on, I think I see some buildings in the distance."

Kuja hurried after the tall man. "Do you really?"

"Yes. I'm taller than you, and I hope those misty objects are buildings."

Pausing to stand on tip toes, Kuja rose an inch higher off the ground. He squinted his eyes and focused ahead. "But Sephiroth, I don't see anything."

Sephiroth rose a brow and peered back at Kuja. "An inch or two isn't going to help. You'd need to be more like a foot taller."

"You're not **that** tall."

"I'm a good head taller than you. Are all of your people that short?"

"I am not short! You're just inhumanly tall. What are you anyway, six feet tall?"

"No."

"...Well, how tall are you?"

Sephiroth frowned at Kuja's curiosity. There was simply too much curiosity contained in that man, it couldn't be healthy. "Six feet and an inch."

"One inch off. I see."

"Yes..." Sephiroth continued forward, sensing the presence of what he hoped to be other people. He glanced back at Kuja who seemed to be full of new energy. "What's got you so excited?"

"A few miles ahead could be a city! A city full of people and houses and baths..."

"What makes you think they'll welcome us with open arms?"

"..."

"What makes you think what I see is even a city? It could be a garbage dump or something."

"Way to lighten the mood... Wait, if there **was **a garbage pile there, that would mean people live there!"

"No, that just means that people lived here at one point in time. It doesn't mean that they still do."

"You're not very optimistic are you?"

"It's hard to be that way after you've been through too many wars." Sephiroth shook his head and continued walking, now at a faster pace. "When you've seen so many people die, you sort of lose hope for anything else."

"You were in the army?"

"You could say that. We called it SOLDIER. It was where only the elite fought. The rest were sent to Shinra's lower ranks, most likely never to enter battle. I envy them."

Kuja bit his lip and pushed harder, trying to get Sephiroth to present him with further information. "So you were in SOLDIER then?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes, I was. I was the general of it. They used to call me "The Great Sephiroth". I'm not so great now, am I, at least not now that I'm dead."

Kuja crossed his arms over his chest, hope rising in his chest as he saw the shapes in the distance grow larger as they neared them. "Did you ever... kill someone? With your own hands?"

"I told you when I first met you; blood has covered the Masamune many times."

"And yet it doesn't stain?"

"It doesn't stain at all." He unsheathed his Masamune, ignoring the breath of surprise Kuja drew. "I killed a girl with this sword. Her name was Aeris. She was supposedly the last remaining Ancient."

"Why would you kill off the last of the Ancients? That's a species, right?"

"You're full of questions, aren't you?"

"Well, we ought to know more about each other."

"Why? I doubt we'll be together for long. Once we get to the city, then I'll be rid of you."

Kuja ignore the last comment. " 'Once we get to the city'? My, my, my, we now believe in the city, I see."

"So?"

Kuja sighed and shook his head. "Never mind."

"It's a city. I can tell."

"Really!"

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes." He blinked and watched as Kuja sped off towards the city. "Wait! Where are you going? Get back here!" He sighed in exasperation and ran after Kuja.


	4. Terra Matra

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Terra-Matra  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In two separate worlds, two young men with different goals died. In the darkness, they meet. But, within a short amount of time, will their souls be erased from time as the law states?  
**Rating:** T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

**-------------------------------**

"It's...so beautiful!"

"It's dull."

"It's **amazing**!"

"It's dismal."

"It's spectacular!"

"It's morbid."

"Why can't you just be positive for once, Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth shrugged and shook his head. "Why can't you just be calm for once. It's just a city. So what?" His green orbs took in the scenery. The view was quite breathtaking, but he was not about to admit that to Kuja. Besides, he had spent plenty of time in the wilderness during war times, and the comforts in the city were really of no use to him anymore.

"Hmm..." Kuja eagerly looked around. The city was a mass of skyscrapers and narrow ally ways, very alluring to someone such as Kuja. "People, people, buildings. I wonder who can help us?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Sephiroth frowned and looked aside. "Why do we need the help of others? Why don't we just hack off some guy's head and take his house."

"Well, I suppose we could..."

"...However...?"

"I just don't feel like killing anyone right now. After all, that's how I ended up here. And, we're all already dead. How can someone die again?"

"I can sever his head and observe what happens then."

"You need to take some medication for that attitude."

"No thank you."

Kuja licked his dry lips and placed his hands over his stomach. "...I'm hungry."

Sephiroth, aggravated, moaned into his hand. "What do you want me to do about that?" He moved his hand away from his mouth and looked at Kuja. "I don't have any food, so I can't feed Your Majesty like you probably expect me to."

"I never said that. I just said I was hungry. I haven't felt hunger or anything else in so long..."

"Maybe while we were in the darkness our needs were cut off."

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

"..."

"What!"

"You question too many things."

Kuja smirked, pleased. "It's better than just accepting everything you're told, isn't it?" He looked around the city again. "...Oh dear."

"...Oh dear?" Sephiroth rose a brow at that statement.

"Look, there's a man in a white robe coming this way."

"...So?"

"He looks like he came from a circus."

"And you don't?"

Kuja glared at him. "No, I don't. I'm highly fashionable, unlike you. You're the one wearing **suspender straps **over your chest as if it's the newest fashion out there."

"I told you not to piss me off!"

"Genome!"

Kuja stiffened and turned his gaze back to the white garbed man who was now a mere yard away from them. "Don't call me that."

"Güten tag."

Sephiroth and Kuja blinked.

"What...?" Kuja was confused. He shook off his confusion quickly though. "How do you know I'm a Genome, anyway."

The white robbed person, an elderly frail looking man, crossed his arms and shook his head, dismissing Kuja's question. "Ich heisse Michael und ich komme aus Bügel. "

"..." Kuja glared at the man. "I don't understand you, so don't bother speaking if you're not going to speak our language."

Sephiroth sighed. "He introduced himself to us, and probably where he's from."

Blinking, Kuja looked up at Sephiroth. Bewildered, he stared at him for a long while before speaking. "You understand him!"

Running a hand through his hair, Sephiroth frowned again. "No, but I heard a name. Usually, you tell where you're from when introducing yourself."

"Oh..." Kuja leaned forward, examining the elder. "Can you speak our language?"

"Ja."

"...Ya? That's a horrid slang term." Kuja shook his head and straightened. "So, speak it then."

"I am sorry. Most people here speak this language."

Kuja's throat tightened. "They... they do?"

The man nodded. "Yes. But that is not important as of now. My name is Michael, and I am a Sage here."

Kuja smirked. "A Sage? Do you have any magical powers? Something that makes you special?" He tossed his hair behind his shoulders. "Or are you just smart?"

Michael frowned. "You're very proud of yourself."

"Yes, yes I am." He looked around the city again. "Do you happen to have any food?"

Sephiroth sighed and ran his fingers over the hilt. If he killed Kuja, he wouldn't have to listen to that egotistical bastard anymore. But then he wouldn't have any entertainment, and that wouldn't be any fun at all.

"Food? Of course we have food. Once you enter the city, your needs come back fully. I assume you are starving?"

Kuja nodded. Sephiroth's eyes flickered to the Sage.

"How long did it take you to get here?"

Growling, Kuja kicked at a nearby rock. The rock, in turn, went flying across the street and went straight through the window. Kuja gaped, Sephiroth rolled his eyes.

"It took us about seven hours to get here. Actually, about two weeks if you include the time we spent floating around in nothing. Kuja was there for two weeks, I was there for several months. We would have gotten here sooner, but this young man here had to take so many breaks. I decided to stay with him during those breaks so I could have some entertainment and that's the only reason," Sephiroth explained.

Kuja whirled around and glared at Sephiroth. "Entertainment! **Entertainment**! I am not entertainment! If I had my magic, I'd make sure you could never move again!"

Sephiroth smirked and rolled his eyes again. "I was just kidding. And here I thought that it was me who had the lack of humor."

Kuja remained silent.

"Yes, my magic-less friend?"

"I hate you."

"Ahem!" Michael cleared his throat loudly, deciding to ignore the window that Kuja had broken. "As a Sage, it is my duty to welcome all new members of our city, which we proudly call Terra-Matra."

Kuja looked at Michael. "...Did you say Terra?"

"Partly. This city is called Terra-Matra. It's been called this for millions of years. I believe a planet was named after it. Are you from this planet? This Terra or Matra?"

"That's none of your business, old man."

Michael shook his head. "No, I don't believe it is. If you don't mind, however, I do need your names and how you died if I'm to properly take care of you."

Kuja frowned for a long while. Sephiroth didn't seem to want to go first, so he would have to. "My name is Kuja. I died in the Iifa tree... Basically, I was doing my best to defy my master and failed. I had to follow his last order, all the way to the end."

Nodding, Michael turned his gaze to Sephiroth. "And you?"

Sephiroth smiled. A wicked smile. "And me **what**?"

"Care to explain why you're here?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "I died."

"...Sephiroth. His name is Sephiroth." Kuja glared at the soldier. Sephiroth was delaying Kuja from getting food. With two weeks of no food and all of that hunger coming back in one blow, Kuja was not a very happy person. "How did you die, Sephiroth? Hurry up so we can eat!"

Sephiroth growled. "Quit ruining my fun. I enjoy toying with the elderly. It's fun to play with people's minds."

"Yes, yes, I know how fun it can be to toy with the minds of others, but really. I'm hungry. I'm sure you're hungry as well."

Sighing, Sephiroth succumbed to Kuja. "I'm not... entirely sure how I died. My memories are muddled." He shrugged, not seeming to care. "I burnt down Nibelheim, I was thrown into the Lifestream, I ended up in the North Crater for five years. Mother set me free and a clone of mine, designed to be weaker, broke my mind control over him. After that, I ended up here. I guess I was still living because part of me was embedded in Cloud. Like I said, I'm not entirely sure how I died."

Kuja rested his fingers over his lips. _A clone? Sounds like...Zidane... Only he was meant to be the stronger one. I wonder..._

"Very well then. I'll take you to the mansion."

Perked up at the word 'mansion', Kuja rubbed his hands together in glee. "Mansion?"

"I doubt we're going to be pampered, Kuja."

A frown managed to find its way to the Genome's face. "...Indeed." He tilted his head. _Oh well. At least I'll be able to eat... I hope. These constant pangs of hunger are so bothersome!_

Michael nodded. "Follow me then." He turned, his white robes flowing behind him, and walked towards a dark square building in the distance.

Sephiroth casually followed the Sage, while Kuja cautiously did so.

_I wonder if they've got wine..._ Kuja wondered._ As soon as I eat, I can stop thinking about food so much!_


	5. Malevolent Forest

**Title: **Happily Ever After**  
Chapter: **Malevolent Forest**  
Author: **Raserei Hojo**  
Summary: **FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In two separate worlds, two young men with different goals died. In the darkness, they meet. But, within a short amount of time, will their souls be erased from time as the law states?**  
Rating: **T**  
Feedback: **Very much so desired!**  
Story Warnings: **Male/Male, shounen-ai**  
Pairings: **Kuja/Sephiroth**  
Disclaimer: **Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

Kuja stared down at the food on the dining table, trying his best not to look too disgusted. Although his distaste was perfectly masked on his face, his voice gave himself away. "What is this? Is it...edible?"

Sephiroth laughed and tore a piece of meat from the bone with his teeth. Still snickering, he tried to eat without choking.

Huffing, Kuja gingerly picked the baby Chocobo drumstick up by the bone, watching it dangle around. "How does it taste?"

Sephiroth swallowed and pondered for a few seconds. "Like chicken?"

Kuja raised a brow. "Were you being sarcastic?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "I wasn't trying to be. It's a lot like chicken, but it's tastier and there's much more meat. I suppose someone like you wouldn't enjoy Chocobo, but to me, it's a luxury. When you're out in the wilderness with no food, you have to eat the strangest of things." He set the bare bone on the plate. "Why don't you just try it? If you don't like it, you can eat some salad or some other pansy food."

Kuja set the Chocobo meat on the plate and wrapped his arms around himself. He desperately tried to shove the thought of Sephiroth eating rats out of his head. Kuja looked again at the food on the table, then to the drumstick. "It's greasy though."

"Are we worried about blemishes?"

"No! I don't think I'll be getting a blemish. I wasn't designed like you humans."

Sephiroth raised a brow this time. "You really do think you're perfect, don't you?" He shrugged again. "I don't think you're perfect. Maybe you don't want to get fat but you do have to eat something. Salad, chicken, Chocobo, whatever. Something, preferably with protein."

"Oh, thanks. What do you do in your free time, read about food?"

"...No. I just happen to be informed about a normal diet. Seriously though, I don't care if you're human or not, you have to consume some kind of energy products. It should have plenty of proteins and carbohydrates to give you energy. That is, unless you want to be a blob that can barely fit in a chair like President Shinra, Palmer, and Heidegger…" He ticked them off on his fingers. "Nearly all of the Shinra executives were like that. You look rich, you look like a noble. I hope to the gods you don't end up like them."

Kuja's lip twisted into a scowl. "I'm not going to get fat. But I don't want to eat a Chocobo. It was once a beautiful, living creature. Now… it's cooked and being attacked by hungry…. carnivores!"

"How do you expect people to survive?"

"I don't know. We shouldn't just go around killing innocent animals. We should just eat the plants that grow. That's not really causing any harm."

"But the plant was alive at one time as well. Many of the ordinary things that people use on a daily basis are made out of plants. Corks, some paper, ink."

"I don't care! You just don't get it, do you, Sephiroth? I can't put that thing into my mouth. It was alive at one time—and I know plants were too—but it was a majestic animal with muscles and—and a soul! It had feelings, it had emotions!"

"And yet you've destroyed an entire planet. You've caused wars to kill people and send them to your planet's Lifestream. You're nothing but a hypocrite."

Kuja sighed. "I know. But I'm here, and maybe it I atone-"

"Maybe if you atone, they'll send you back to your world? They'll let you live as if you never died? They'll…" Sephiroth smiled. "They'll forget this ever happened?"

Knowing fully well he was walking straight into the swordsman's trap, he nodded. "Right."

"You won't be sent back. If anything, you'll be reincarnated. You'll face a life harder than the one you're lived before. You'll be tested again and again until you live your life properly. Then maybe they'll let you stay here."

"You don't even know the rules here," Kuja argued.

"There was information on the afterlife back in my world. There were so many books. People who have been supposedly dead before. They were hypnotized and revealed their past life. I don't believe in it, at least I didn't. But now that I'm here, I find it hard not to believe. Maybe I don't believe in the whole 'past afterlife' thing, but I do believe that it is possible to be reincarnated."

Kuja looked aside. "I don't care. I'm still not eating it." He had changed their serious discussion back to something stupid. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he was reincarnated. He would have to ask before his soul was calm, though. That much he knew.

"Excuse me." Michael walked over to them, staring down at the two silver haired men. "You'll have to hurry and finish eating. A meeting is going to be here."

Kuja slammed his fists on the table. "So why did you let us eat here?"

"All new members of Terra-Matra eat their first meal here. While we assign you a home, you should go and explore the town and get used to the mechanics of our world. You should enjoy the time you spend here, because chances are, you won't be here for very long."

"What do you mean?" Kuja stood and went over to Michael, who waved the question aside.

"You should go. Kuja, take a bowl of salad with you, I don't mind."

Blue-black eyes glared angrily, but Kuja soon calmed himself down. He took a bowl, filled it with fruits and vegetables, and headed out. Sephiroth shook his head and followed the Genome.

"Auf wiedersehen!" Michael called out to them.

"Whatever," the two silver-haired men called back.

-------------------------------

"So, what do you think we should do?" Kuja asked. He looked down at the salad he found delicious, pleased that he hadn't been the cause of another thing's death. Even if he wasn't the one who killed it, he didn't consume its corpse.

Sephiroth just shrugged like he always did. "I don't know. We've been walking around this town for a while."

"When do you think that Sage Michael man will call us back?"

Sephiroth tilted his head. "I don't know. Maybe he won't call us back at all."

"There you go again, Sephiroth." Kuja rolled his eyes. "Complain, spout your negativity, deplore everything." Kuja looked around the town.

Stone buildings were cramped closely together. They all looked the same to Kuja. However, as they walked by, he had peered through some of the windows that were open and had seen distinct differences. In some houses, the furniture looked expensive and fit for a king. In other homes, it was nearly bare, perhaps a chair in the corner of the room. Everything towered over Kuja and he felt like a needle in a haystack. He is silver hair made him stick out, as did his attire, and he hated the way that people's eyes seemed to follow him, staring at his back until he turned the corner with Sephiroth. He wondered if Sephiroth felt the same way.

As they walked through the town, they eventually found the border of it. At least, they assumed it was a border. The dirt road simply cut off and tall tufts of green grass stood erect like little soldiers. The buildings had stopped appearing a while ago, and along the dirt road were patches of golden colored dirt. Along those patches the two men saw farmers toiling at their work. _How awful it would be to have a job like that, Kuja_ thought.

"We should head back, Kuja. All that's out there is grass, and it looks like a gloomy forest there as well. There's no more civilization."

"I thought you didn't mind being out in the wilderness, eh?"

"I don't. I would just rather head back now, that's all."

Kuja smirked and continued forward. "Oh, does a tiny little forest in the distance scare you?"

Sephiroth growled and followed the Genome. "I told you, I just want to head back and see if that old man has everything ready. I wouldn't mind sleeping in a bed for once. Floating around in absolutely nothing is very, very awkward. I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bed.

"Awkward it may be, but rest can wait. I want to see what's in that forest." Kuja pondered what could be held in the forest. "Maybe there's an exit to this horrid place. That would be wonderful!"

"Or maybe there's a death trap that locks us in there forever," Sephiroth muttered.

It took them another hour to reach the forest. Kuja and Sephiroth both noted that despite the mind's calculation of distance, it was a trick. They also realized that it would take them at least four hours to get back.

"Damn you and your thirst for adventure," Sephiroth muttered. "We're in the forest. There's trees, there's leaves, there's bushes—" he swatted at a mosquito, "—there's bugs. Yeah, I'd say this is the wilderness, all right. Can we go back now?"

Kuja defiantly shook his head and reached up, gripping a large rock with his hands. He then proceeded to pull himself up onto the rock, carefully climbing it. After a few quick minutes, Kuja victoriously stood on top of the rock and glanced around. "Hmm..."

Sephiroth clapped his hands together mockingly. "Bravo, bravo." He smirked. "Do you do evenings as well?"

Kuja ripped a frail limb from the above tree and hurled it at Sephiroth. "Shut up. I don't need you evaluating me. I climbed the rock, didn't I? It's three times my size."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and walked forward. He placed his foot on one of the many grooves of the rock and gained leverage quickly. Within seconds he was on top of the rock, towering over Kuja with a cynical smirk. "I didn't realize that climbing this big old boulder was such a task. I commemorate you on your bravery! Your wit! Your brawn, your prowess!" He laughed, and it echoed throughout the empty forest. "Really."

Scowling, Kuja jumped down from the rock. He landed catlike and continued further into the depths of the forest. "I don't need you mocking me every five seconds."

Sephiroth smirked again and followed the Genome. "Am I bothering you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you are." _I'm not like him, am I? I'm not sarcastic and I don't annoy the hell out of people, right? _Kuja waved a hand, gesturing for Sephiroth to stop following. "Why don't you go away?"

"Because you wouldn't go away. So you're stuck with me. I intend to make you suffer the entire time we're here."

"I didn't **ask **you to come with me. You volunteered. You could have went back to the main castle as soon as you wanted! But what did you do? You followed me in here!"

Laughing again, Sephiroth shook his head. "You've got such a temper."

"Yeah, and if I had my magic—"

"I know, I know, you'd magick me until I—...What was that?"

Kuja placed his hands on his hips and glared up at Sephiroth. "You're making fun of me again!"

Sephiroth shook his head, slowly turning his head, trying to pick up the slight sound he heard. "No, I heard something." He turned his head the other way, straining to hear the noise again. "It was like a rustling of leaves..."

Groaning and rolling his eyes, Kuja shook his head. "Have you ever heard of the wind?"

"Shut up!" Sephiroth raised his voice, silencing Kuja and leaving a uneasy silence in the forest. It was quiet enough to hear Sephiroth's quickened breaths of air. Whatever made the noise, he his senses told him it was powerful.

Realizing Sephiroth was serious for once, Kuja looked around as well. "Maybe you scared it off?" he whispered quietly.

Sephiroth cautiously took a few steps forward. When he stopped, he heard the noise again to his right. "No. It's here."

Kuja climbed another boulder to get a better view of the area. Nothing seemed very peculiar, and Kuja began to think that maybe Sephiroth was just going insane. _No, wait, he's already insane._ Assuming that if Sephiroth still had sanity left, he jumped and clung to a tree branch. This time he easily climbed the branch. He proudly stood on the branch. It seemed sturdy, and Kuja felt confident that his lack of weight would not break the branch.

"I wonder what it is..." Sephiroth carefully reached into the bushes and felt around. Nothing. "Or maybe who?"

"I don't see anything from up here."

Sephiroth blinked and looked up at Kuja. "Why the hell are you all the way up there?"

"I thought maybe, whatever it was, it could be seen from a distance." Kuja jumped down from the branch and landed perfectly. He stretched and looked at Sephiroth who seemed to be hiding his astonishment. Kuja merely smirked and asked in a cocky tone, "What?"

"Nothing." Sephiroth shrugged. "We should go back to the town. I don't like the eerie feeling of this place." He turned around and stared. "What the...hell...?"

"Hm?" Kuja peered around the older man. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "It's... I've been in this forest before. It was in my world!" He stared vividly at the petrified land in front of himself. "When my brother killed the leader of this forest, it turned to stone."

"So why is it turning to stone now?"

Kuja shook his head. "I have no idea, but we had best get out of here, fast."

Sephiroth nodded in agreement.

After only a few steps, the two found they were going to have some difficulty returning. Huge red spiders stood in their way. They screamed wildly and rushed at the two men.

"What do we do, Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth quickly scanned the mass of spiders. He couldn't take them all out with what little time he had. The forest was slowly petrifying, and eventually they would all be locked inside of it. "We'll have to run for it."

For once, Kuja didn't give a sarcastic remark. He rushed off in the opposite direction of the spiders, doing his best to avoid the petrifying forest. "Come on! Hurry!"

Sephiroth placed his left hand over the hilt of his sword and followed Kuja. He unsheathed the Masamune, ready to slash at any spider that dared get too close. "The amount of spiders here is ridiculous!"

"I know," Kuja called from ahead. "Something must have triggered the forest to petrify though." He skid to a sudden halt. "The forest ahead of us. It's already petrified." He quickly glanced around. "There's barely any room left."

Sephiroth grabbed Kuja's arm with his free hand and bolted off through the still green part of the forest. "Keep up with me. We'll get out of here."

Kuja didn't exactly appreciate being dragged through a forest like a doll, but he didn't have time to register anything at the moment. In his dazed state, his foot caught on a rock and he staggered. Sephiroth didn't catch him, and Kuja angrily fell on his hands and knees. "Thanks a lot, Sephiroth." He blinked. "Sephiroth?" _Did he let go of my arm as I fell? _He quickly stood and looked around. No inhumanly tall swordsman in sight.

"Dammit." He took a deep breath. _Magic has to work. It has to. _He gathered his energy, feeling it pulse through his arms like warm blood. His fingertips surged with energy, the sparks of fire shot out. He released the energy into the air in the direction of the spiders.

And to his amazement, several hundred of them fell dead. "It worked!" He cheered. Kuja remembered the Sage telling him about how their 'needs return in full' once you enter the city of Terra-Matra. _Perhaps since we're out of the darkness, my magic works?_ Renewed and full of energy, he sent Flares and Firagas and Flarestars at the spiders, grinning as they fell one by one.

But their numbers seemed unlimited. Kuja was breathing heavily after the fiftieth spell, and the spiders were still coming. "How many...are there?" he gasped. "And where the hell is Sephiroth?" _What if...he's petrified? I'm stuck here alone!_

The spiders had managed to overrun Kuja. They shoved him to the ground. He couldn't breathe; he couldn't even move. They were suffocating him! Hoping that it would be enough, he summoned the last of his magic. He concentrated and felt the warmth rush through his arm again. With a shaky breath, he released his most powerful attack: Ultima.

_I hope, _Kuja thought, his conscious slipping away, _I hope that Sephiroth got out okay._


	6. Sleeping Beauty

**Title: **Happily Ever After**  
Chapter: **Sleeping Beauty**  
Author: **Raserei Hojo**  
Summary: **FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In two separate worlds, two young men with different goals died. In the darkness, they meet. But, within a short amount of time, will their souls be erased from time as the law states?**  
Rating:** T**  
Feedback: **Very much so desired!**  
Story Warnings: **Male/Male, shounen-ai**  
Pairings: **Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

_Angels are androgyny creatures. There have been many classifications of these angels, but the most popular is the Seraphim. They are described as very tall, with six wings and four heads. _

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

_One pair of wings are for flying, one for covering their eyes—for even they may not look directly at God—and one for covering their feet—which is almost certainly a euphemism for genitalia. They are in the direct presence of God._

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty."

_It has also been said that one who lays their eyes upon a Seraphim will instantly be incinerated because they are so bright. Yes, they are truly miraculous. Perhaps one day a Seraphim will come to the planet._

"Kuja!"

"What?" Kuja bolted upright, blinking several times. "What…?" He looked around for the speaker who held an airy, _royal _sort of voice. The kind of voice that had that certain kind of accent that certain ears simply cannot stand.

"Ah, so Sleeping Beauty has finally returned to reality." The blur of the doctor in his white lab coat focused, and Kuja saw the slim, beaming man before him.

_Is he happy I was hurt? And…where is Sephiroth? Kuja was beginning to realize how often he was thinking of Sephiroth before himself. That didn't exactly make him happy, but he did want to know where he was and if he had gotten hurt._

"You silly child, going off into the forest..." The doctor shook his head and smirked. He slithered out of his lab coat and tossed it to the nearby chair. His skin was tanned and his hair, black as night, came right down to his waist. His sapphire eyes were mischievous and held a certain unknown knowledge. He barely looked eighteen years old. "How are you feeling?"

Kuja simply glared. "Why were you calling me Sleeping Beauty? For your information, I am **not **a woman."

"I know. I never said you were. But, it's quite hard to **not **notice that you're a man with all of your clothes off and what not." The doctor pointed at the thin cotton sheet that covered Kuja's waist and downward. "So, be careful on how much you move. I don't have your old clothes, I believe those were burned. I do have a pair of black slacks and a black dress shirt you can wear. You'll have to put a hole in the pants though."

Kuja carefully tightened the sheet around himself. "Why would I need a hole in the pants?" His face burned crimson, both of embarrassment and anger. His clothes had been burned, at this doctor had been looking at him naked. He shuddered uncomfortably.

"Your tail."

Kuja's heart came to a sudden halt. _My…tail?_ Now that his brain was focusing, he could feel the furry thing wrapping around his thigh. It squeezed the thigh tightly as if to reassure Kuja that it wasn't the end of the world. Air filled his lungs finally. "My tail?" He queried out loud. _Of course... He would have seen my tail without anything to hide it with._

"You're a very strange human… But from the looks of it, you **aren't** human, are you?" The doctor waved his hand, dismissing his own question. "I've lost my manners entirely. I'm Doctor Tenrai, but you can call me Shenter. Not that you care. I suppose you want to know what happened after the spiders attacked?"

Kuja nodded slowly. "And where's Sephiroth?"

"Well, you were hurt pretty bad. I've kept you under anesthesia for five days to give your wounds time to heal properly. I've also taken off the bandages, so you don't need them anymore. All you have now is a few scratches." Shenter bit his lip and sat in a dark wooden chair beside Kuja's bed. He pulled a clipboard into his lap and began to write with extremely neat handwriting--for a doctor anyway. "After the spiders had finished their killing spree, the forest would have petrified."

"Do wounds heal quickly here?"

Shenter nodded, pondering. "I'd say about ten times the normal time. When you got here, you were drenched in blood, and I think it was your own, not the spider's. You don't look strong enough to draw blood."

Kuja glared and then scoffed, glancing around the room. "Where is he?"

"Sephiroth? He still hasn't awakened."

So much for Kuja not causing anyone else's death.

"Is…he going to be okay?"

Shenter looked aside, which in turn alarmed Kuja.

"You said he hasn't awakened! That means he's still alive, right? Right?"

"Yeah, he's alive. But his wounds were a lot worse than yours. Those mutant spiders completely tore him to shreds. You wouldn't think something like that would happen to a General of the Shinra Army."

"You know about that?"

"He has a patch on the chest of his uniform. There have been quite a few top officials from Shinra. The president is here, but I don't like him. Oh!" Shenter ran across the room and began digging through a drawer, his clipboard clattering to the marble floor. "You still have no idea where you'll be living, do you?" He pulled out a scrunched up map and handed it to Kuja.

"The other Sages didn't want to deal with you, so they left you in my care. Until you're well, you'll be living with me." Shenter laughed, and to Kuja it sounded like a typically evil laugh, as if he was concocting some kind of torture for him. "It'll be fun! I live in the mansion, so you won't have to worry about anything." He tossed Kuja the pair of slacks and a few other clothes. "Hurry up and get dressed while I check up on Sephiroth." He then picked up a pair of scissors and hurled them at Kuja as well. "And cut that hole into your pants!" He gave a short wave and hurried off.

"…Can we say **eccentric**?" Kuja sighed and shook his head, carefully cutting the hold into the pants. He didn't particularly want to have a hole in his pants for his tail, but he didn't want to know what that Shenter person would do if he didn't listen to him.

After half an hour, Shenter finally returned. Kuja was standing near the window, staring out blankly. When the footsteps of the younger man reached his ears, Kuja sighed and opened the window. "So, you're a Sage?"

"Last time I checked I was." Shenter walked over to Kuja and shut the window. "The fumes outside this hospital are quite toxic. You shouldn't breathe in so deeply. Not unless you want to stay in the hospital."

Kuja growled and stalked to the other side of the room. "So, how's Sephiroth?"

"He's doing better...Probably, in a few hours, he'll be awake." Shenter laughed and titled his head, giving another carefree grin.

Kuja's fingers wrapped themselves into fists. He was beginning to loath the young Sage even more. So happy and so damn carefree. "Why are you so happy? You're dead. Start acting like it."

"I might be dead, but I can still be helpful."

Kuja hid his mouth behind his hand and snickered. "Oh, really? What do you intend to do that will be helpful to everyone else? We're **all **dead. There's nothing anyone can do about it."

"Well, as a Sage I have a certain authority over everyone. I can banish anyone from this world whenever I want to. The other Sages are old and frail, and in a few years, they'll all fade away and pass into the World of Reincarnation." Shenter was glaring now. "And I'm not **just **a Sage. I am **your **ruler. I can control every aspect of your life. Just because I died when I was eighteen does **not **mean that I'm just a stupid teenage punk that sits on the street corner and smokes a couple of joints every hour. Do you understand me?"

Arms shaking in simmering rage, Kuja slowly nodded. _What is he? Schizophrenic? Damn, he's crazy!_

"Good." Shenter smiled again and grabbed the keys from the hook of battered door. "So komm mit then. You need to know your way around the Mansion within a few days."

"Come... mit?"

"It means 'come along'. So, come along. Whatever, just follow me, alright?"

"Alright, alright." Kuja crossed his arms over his chest and followed the now Little-Lord-Brat. "Where will Sephiroth live?"

"In the mansion with us. Only until you're well again. We need to keep an eye on you."

Kuja sighed in relief. _Well, at least I'll have some company at the mansion._


	7. An Opera House

**Title: **Happily Ever After**  
Chapter: **An Opera House**  
Author: **Raserei Hojo**  
Summary: **FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In two separate worlds, two young men with different goals died. In the darkness, they meet. But, within a short amount of time, will their souls be erased from time as the law states?**  
Rating:** T**  
Feedback: **Very much so desired!**  
Story Warnings: **Male/Male, shounen-ai**  
Pairings: **Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

Kuja had been wrong to assume that he would have Sephiroth's company at the mansion. Three days had passed and Sephiroth still hadn't emerged from the hospital. Kuja wasn't allowed to visit, he wasn't allowed to leave the mansion, he wasn't allowed to do anything. At least, he had no permission to do the things he wanted.

"Boring, boring, boring." He lay sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Maybe it'll collapse. I need _some _kind of entertainment." He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and quietly moved towards the door. Pressing his ears against the thick, wooden door, he listened hard for any noises at all. Kuja concentrated, hearing nothing. Pleased by this discovery, his long, furry tail wrapped itself loosely around his thigh, its silver color contrasting the dark black slacks he wore.

He pushed open the door, wincing as it squeaked loudly on its hinges. Taking note to find some oil to remedy the noise, he poked his head through the opening, peering down the hall. No one. Sighing in relief, he slid from the confines of his room into the hallway, silently cheering as Shenter wasn't there to pester him. He made a run for the door, praying that the soft sounds of his feet hitting the floor wouldn't ruin his escape.

The doors of the mansion opened easily, and he ran out, shutting the doors gently. He stared at the huge town before him, at the sunlight that poured down. He briefly wondered if everything here was dead as well, and that if the sun was a star that had once died. It was overwhelming for him to be so free.

"Where should I go first?" He quickly walked away from the moss covered mansion and down the road, into the town below. What he did first really didn't matter. He was no longer chained to Garland's will and he was on his own in a large city full of new and interesting people. He had an entirely new culture to explore!

After a few minutes exploration, Kuja quickly noticed that there was a huge variety of people. And, to his happiness, there were hardly any people from Gaia. This in itself unveiled a new array of opportunities. New people, new customs, fresh minds of citizens who had absolutely no idea who he was… It was heartwarming and very uplifting.

He excitedly began exploring the town, and as it turned out, it was one large melting pot. People of all races and colors and cultures together in one town. Kuja was sure there were other towns, but for now, this would do. He listened in on a few conversations of people who were speaking that awful language the Sages spoke.

"I guess that they speak this one language so they can all understand each other. But who cares? People can get along perfectly with gestures and pictures. Though it does tend to make life easier…" He tilted his head and pondered. "Sephiroth speaks my language, and dammit, I'm thinking about him again."

Biting his lip, he glanced around. "I need something to get my mind off him. I'm sure he's fine. He has to be, Shenter said that he was the general of some army or something."

A huge sign in the window of a flower shop stated:

_**Opera House Performance**_

_Staring: _Beautiful Actress Maria

_Time: _5:45PM

_Tickets: _x57.99

"A play would be nice. It says she's an actress, and heaven forbid if they sing in those high, screechy voices." He bit his lip again. He had no money, and he certainly wasn't going to ask that Sage Shenter for money. He didn't even know how much the price really was, it definitely wasn't in Gil price, as he was used to.

His dark blue eyes wandered towards the Opera House that was nestled delicately in the back of the city, surrounded by flowers. He saw the fire escape ladder, and he grinned. Zidane may have been skilled at thievery and getting his way into expensive buildings like Alexandria Castle, but Kuja had him bested.

Trying not to draw attention towards himself, he walked casually towards the Opera House to get a better view of the place. It was large, and not many people were around. There were a few bystanders though, and Kuja couldn't take the chance of them seeing him sneak inside the building.

He walked closer, until he was able to lean against one of the thick marble columns that held the building upright. Gazing at the three people that were lingering, talking about nothing, Kuja gathered his energy. Just a small fire spell would do.

The warmth surged down his arms again. He focused on the energy, and released a few sparks of fire onto the nearby bed of flowers opposite of him. They instantly caught fire. People turned their faces towards the flowers as they withered, blackening. The three teens that were talking gasped and watched the fire spread.

Kuja nervously watched them. They seemed too transfixed, as if they had never seen fire before. And then the crowd gathered around Kuja, pushing him aside and talking nervously as the flames grew higher and engulfed the flowers. Although this wasn't exactly the way Kuja had planned things out, it was a diversion.

As the crowd panicked, Kuja made his way unnoticed into the Opera House, and before he shut the doors, energy rushed down his arms again, this time very cold, and he cast a water spell on the fire. The flames died as Kuja shut the doors.

The inside was very extravagant. Very gold, and very red. The stage was set high and the chairs were red velvet. People were already seated and the man whom Kuja assumed was to take the money was busy peering out the window at the commotion outside. So he let himself in and took an empty seat near the front. If they asked for tickets, he would simply claim to have thrown it out.

Sneaking into buildings was so very easy, and Zidane had the audacity to brag about it? Simply shameful.

He was nervous though, and he wondered what would happen if by some chance, he was caught. He was already on Shenter's bad side, and he was one of those "evil" beings that needed to be watched over. Shaking his head, he leaned back in his chair. "They act as if they've never seen fire before," he mumbled.

The orchestra had been playing since Kuja had entered, and now they stopped as the lights dimmed and the curtains opened.

_Well I guess people here aren't as smart as I thought they were. _He folded his hands in his lap and watched.

The narrator walked out from behind the curtain. "Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the play that has been acted out on stage for quite some time, ever since 'Lord' Kefka's defeat! Ever since that time, we perform this play once a year to celebrate that lucky planet's survival of Kefka. Now, please bring your hands together for our yearly performance!" He turned, his deep purple cape swinging behind him, and walked off stage. He grabbed his microphone and began to recite the play that many people already knew. Kuja watched intently.

A good half hour passed before the play really drew him in. He didn't know what it was, but the song that the woman, Maria, was singing, it touched his heart.

"Oh my hero, so far away now.  
Will I ever see your smile?  
Love goes away, like night into day.  
It's just a fading dream.

I'm the darkness, you're the stars.  
Our love is brighter than the sun.  
For eternity, for me there can be,  
Only you, my chosen one...

Must I forget you? Our solemn promise?  
Will autumn take the place of spring?  
What shall I do? I'm lost without you.  
Speak to me once more!"

It was romantic, and it did fit the scene. It reminded him of something Lord Avon would have written, back on Gaia… Kuja was brought back to reality when Maria began to sing once more.

"We must part now, my life goes on.  
But my heart won't give you up.  
Ere I walk away, let me hear you say  
I meant as much to you...

So gently, you touched my heart.  
I will be forever yours.  
Come what may, I won't age a day,  
I'll wait for you, always…"

"A song about a soldier and his lover who waits for his return." Kuja smiled at the thought. A good romantic story indeed, albeit a tad overused.

"Hey."

Kuja started. _Oh no. They've caught me. _He hesitantly craned his neck around and looked at the man kneeling beside him.

"I didn't know you liked plays, Kuja."

Kuja stared. "Sephiroth!" He didn't know quite how to react. He had been so worried about him, and now that he was in front of him… He didn't know how to feel. Relieved? Nevertheless, he smacked Sephiroth on the shoulder. "Where have you been!" he whispered harshly.

Sephiroth gently rubbed the spot where Kuja had hit him and stared at him silently. After a few moments, he slid into the empty seat beside Kuja. "I heard there was a commotion outside," he whispered.

Kuja nodded, a guilty expression on his face.

Sephiroth looked at him and raised a brow. "That was you? So, your magic really does work in the confines of the city. I'm surprised."

Kuja crossed his arms over his chest. "Did you think I was defenseless? Hardly!" The play was nearing its end. "It's not like I cared or anything."

"Then I'll just leave and—"

"No!" Kuja grabbed Sephiroth's arm as he tried to stand. "I was a little worried… Shenter wouldn't tell me what happened to you. I thought you were going to die."

"A few cuts and bruises aren't going to kill me."

Kuja chewed on his bottom lip, thinking again. "Where did you go?"

Silence.

"Ugh, I mean, in the forest. You let go of me." He stabbed his finger into Sephiroth's chest. "I fell and when I didn't see you, I was on my own."

Sephiroth merely shrugged. "I tripped on a root that was hidden."

"I see…"

"Besides, I thought you were fine on your own, eh?"

"Oh, shut up." Kuja stood after the curtains dropped and took off towards the doors.

"Where are you going?" Sephiroth called after him.

"Back to the mansion! If you're not going to be social, I'm not going to waste my time on you."

Sephiroth leaned back and crossed his legs, his elbows on the armrests. "I'm social," he defended himself, long after Kuja departed. "I just don't feel like talking all the time. Damn little brat…" He scoffed, green eyes focusing on the red carpet. "All of this red is so…reminiscent of blood." He stood, wincing, and slowly walked after Kuja. "I'll get him back for making me go through all this pain to come here after him. Next time his life is in danger, he can save himself."

**Author's Note: **_The song used in this chapter is Aria De Mezzo Carattere. They appear in Final Fantasy VI, and this is a Final Fantasy cross-over after all. It ties into the story, too. I read the ToS, which were a bit confusing, and if anyone knows for sure if I can use the song lyrics or not, leave it in your review. I'll remove the lyrics immediately if it goes against the ToS._


	8. Witchcraft

**Title: **Happily Ever After  
**Chapter: **Witchcraft  
**Author: **Raserei Hojo  
**Summary: **(Changed) FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In separate worlds, two men died. They were brought together in the darkness and a friendship began to grow. In an attempt to see an opera, magic is used, and witchcraft is called.  
**Rating: **T  
**Feedback: **Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings: **Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings: **Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

"Witchcraft!" they cried. The fire appearing for no obvious reason, the flowers blackening, the magical water appearing from thin air! The residents of Terra-Matra were hysterical. No one had ever seen things like that happen before, and the event brought fear with it.

Kuja was in his room, sitting on the large bed. He had left the door cracked slightly so he could watch the Sages stalk past his door. They didn't know who had caused such magic, and Kuja hoped no one would ever know.

He stared, wide-eyed at the bedspread. "What will happen…?" He was breathless, his mind was racing. "What will happen if they know? If I am truly dead, then what will they do next?" His hand clutched the soft material of his shirt.

Shenter walked towards Kuja room. He could see the slim arm extend, fingers spread, ready to push the door open. In his mind, Kuja could just picture the rage on Shenter's face. However, Shenter decided against it and continued on his way.

"I didn't mean to cause any harm," he told himself. "I just wanted to see the opera." The words were comforting, and although they were true, they held little power. The townspeople called witchcraft. They thought that Kuja was a witch, of all things!"

"I saw him!" cried a teenager. The voice floated in through the open window, and it came from the main square of the town. Kuja's heart nearly stopped. Turning his head to look out the window, his chest tightened as he saw a familiar teenager—one of the teenagers who had been standing outside of the Opera House. There was a crowd gathered around the teenager.

"He had strange, silver hair. Silver, I say! And his eyes were icy and blue."

Kuja silently went to the window and leaned out, staring down at the teenager. He glared at the top of the boy's gleaming, black hair. He dared not lean out too far.

"His skin was pale and probably cold as death too!"

Kuja narrowed his eyes. "You little bastard," he hissed under his breath.

"And you know what was really weird?"

The men and women crowded closer to the teenager. They pressed together, all of them leaning close.

"He's half human, half monkey! He has a tail! It was coiled around his leg, and it moved as if it were real. He's an animal!"

The accused silver tail fell limp, almost shamefully. Kuja backed away from the window, nearly tripping over his tail. "Oh, no…" He swallowed dryly, his mind coming up with bizarre punishments that he would have to endure.

He turned and raced to the door, wrenching it open and dashing into the hallway. "Stupid kid! I knew I shouldn't have used magic. But everyone knows about magic! It's a natural part of many people!"

Breathing heavily, Kuja slowed to a stop and wrapped his arms around himself tightly. "How can they think…?"

Heavy footsteps. Metal clinking, leather moving. "Kuja?"

He winced at the sound of his own name and stayed silent.

"What's wrong with you, running off like that? You're paler than usual, too."

Growling, Kuja shouldered past him. "Go away, Sephiroth. I can handle this myself."

"Yes, I know. You've said so before and became angry when I reminded you of that. Now listen to me. I'm trying to care, I'm trying to show my concern. But when you ignore me, why even bother to ask?"

Kuja looked aside. "Because I've learned the hard way. No one can really care for me. No one can care for you either." He turned his gaze to Sephiroth. "We're all selfish people."

"Selfish we may be, but everyone has the ability to give." Sephiroth shook his head and gestured to Kuja. "And getting angry over nothing isn't going to solve anything."

"But it is something. They think I'm a witch!"

"Warlock," Sephiroth corrected. "Witches are female."

Kuja grabbed Sephiroth by the shoulders and shook him roughly. "I don't care! This is something! I've read about people who were accused of being a witch. Or a warlock. Whatever. They were killed."

"But we're already dead."

Sephiroth just doesn't understand! "I realize that! But Sephiroth, they'll kill us again. They'll destroy our souls—they'll reincarnate us as animals!"

"Kuja, calm down. If you're panicky, then—"

"Kuja."

Sephiroth and Kuja turned their attention to the man in the hallway.

"Oh god," Kuja whispered. "It's Shenter."

"Damn right it's me." Shenter stalked over to Kuja. "The little monkey-boy thinks he can cast magic."

Kuja glared, fear gone and replaced with anger. "I can."

"So then you are a witch."

"I am not a witch! I'm just a Genome. I'm not even human, you can't accuse me of being a witch."

"The town seems to think differently." Shenter held up a warrant for the capturing of the witch. "Witches are not allowed here. I don't know how you got into Terra-Matra, but you shouldn't have. Witches are filtered out and they're deposited into Aegisia."

"I'm not a witch! That's why I'm here." Kuja still held his ground.

"Mr. Tenrai, please calm down," Sephiroth intervened. "I know you're angry, and I know the town is upset, but please. Kuja is not a witch."

"He is a witch! He was seen using magic at the Opera House. There were three witnesses."

"Were you a witness? For all you know, Kuja never left his room that day."

Kuja swallowed rather dryly again and nodded softly.

"I do not need to be a witness. I have trust in the people of Terra-Matra."

"Maybe they were seeing things."

"The flowers were withered! They were in a garden, outside of the Opera House. There were no wires near them, the weather was cool! There was no way a fire could break out!"

Sephiroth clenched his hands a few times but said no more.

"Look, you're coming to trial with me." Shenter had his hand on his waist and a finger pointing lazily at Kuja. "There is nothing you can do about it." A teenaged stance.

Kuja's glare grew even colder. _The only reason he's listening to that brat is because they're the same age._

"And if I refuse?"

Shenter smiled, his eyes soft but menacing. "Well, if you refuse, my dear Kuja, your soul will be destroyed." His smile grew in length. "If you lose your trial, your soul will be destroyed."

"And if Kuja wins his trial?"

Kuja glanced up at Sephiroth, then towards Shenter again.

"With the evidence we have against him… He has no chance of winning. Now come." Shenter drew an old fashioned pair of handcuffs from his belt.

With no other options available to him, Kuja silently crossed his arms behind his back. His wrists where slid into the handcuffs and were bound tightly together. Wincing, Kuja offered Shenter another glare. "A witch indeed. I may be the one accused of witchcraft, but you're the bitch." Kuja smiled elegantly, in the same manner Shenter had just before.

Sephiroth watched the two of them, attempting to formulate some kind of plan in his head. He would have to keep a watch on Shenter and Kuja from a distance to see where they would be later.

Kuja glanced at Sephiroth and sent a mental message to him, finding it much harder than usual. The handcuffs were draining his magic supply.

_Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm…used to prison._

Tossing his hair, Kuja followed Shenter down the deserted corridor. _And if they let you, _he added, _come visit me._ He saw Sephiroth nod before he turned the corner.


	9. A Sealed Deal

**Title: **Happily Ever After  
**Chapter: **A Sealed Deal  
**Author: **Raserei Hojo  
**Summary: **(Changed) FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In separate worlds, two men died. They were brought together in the darkness and a friendship began to grow. In an attempt to see an opera, magic is used, and witchcraft is called.  
**Rating: **T  
**Feedback: **Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings: **Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings: **Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

Shenter Tenrai sat the head of the table. Around him sat the five most important Sages—Michael, Yuki, Arisa, Maximilion, and Garnet.

"So what exactly is the crime of this young man?" Maximilion spoke up. His fingers ran through his shoulder length hair as he calmly examined the crowd at the table. "I see nothing wrong with his hair color. My hair color is silver." He wore a chain necklace that held a large hour-glass. Deep reds and grays clothed his body as he watched his leader with placid blue eyes. "Go on, explain yourself."

"I am not taking offense to your hair color. I'm simply saying that the townspeople think that the hair color silver is strange. Hell, before those two came along, you were pretty much the only one with silver hair." Shenter crossed his arms defiantly over his chest.

"I died at nineteen, and where I come from, it is not strange at all that I have silver hair. Perhaps those two… Sephiroth and Kuja… maybe they came from my world?"

"Max," Arisa said calmly, "your planet no longer exists."

"You don't know that!" Max snapped. "All I know is that the darkness swept into my planet. I never saw with my own eyes that the planet died."

Shrugging, Arisa began to braid her black hair. "No one has come to Terra-Matra from your world. Get over it. When a planet dies, their souls are automatically erased."

Max and Arisa stood from their chairs and nearly lunged at each other. They stopped themselves and offered death glares at one another instead.

"Calm down!" Shenter threw a crystal glass at the two Sages. They quickly dodged and heatedly sat down. "Now then. Kuja's trial—"

"I can't believe you're putting him on trial!" Max shouted. His eyes were narrowed as he stared at Shenter. "So he's part monkey, that's not different! Shenter, you're only half human yourself. Eventually, the humans will kill themselves off. They have to breed with members outside of their race."

"I'm not very proud of my human heritage, Max."

"Breeding with monkeys..." Arisa murmered.

Yuki's violet eyes gazed at the arguing Sages. "Why don't you leave the room, Max, and return when your head is level."

"My head _is _level, thank you very much."

"Well…" All heads turned towards Garnet.

"I know Kuja. He came from my world."

Hushed whispers. Garnet quietly looked at the others. "Indeed, Kuja did use magic. He used such great power when he took my mother's life. He destroyed the Great Nations single-handedly." Her cheeks grew flushed as she spoke. "Kuja used my mother. I knew my mother, she was kind and sweet—Kuja changed her, and she gave into the greed when before those awful thoughts would have never crossed her mind."

A smile crept across Shenter's lips. "You say he did use magic?"

Garnet wrapped her hands gently around her pendant. "Yes. He did." Her chocolate colored eyes gazed steadily at Shenter. "He murdered many people with it."

"Did others use magic where you came from?" Shenter pressed on.

Garnet thought about Vivi, who had 'stopped' long ago. The Black Mages were probably wiped out by now. Her loathe for Kuja boiled deep within her heart. "No one but him used magic."

"Excellent." Shenter folded his hands together, smiling still. "Well then, ladies and gentlemen, we have our proof. Queen Garnet is our witness!" He tilted his head, his hair slightly covering his eyes. "We'll have his soul destroyed immediately."

"Shenter, please don't act so harshly on the boy," Michael pleaded. "At least give him a proper trial. Let him defend himself! It's only fair."

Lethal eyes turned to Sage Michael. "Listen," Shenter said dangerously, his voice lowering. "You are no longer in charge of this place. I was put in charge. And, pretty soon, Old Man… you'll fade away. Now do you want to 'fade away' now or later? Hmm?"

Michael looked aside, his fingers flexing slightly. "I'm sorry, Sage Shenter. I've forgotten my place with you here. Please, forgive me."

"Very well." Shenter stood and looked at the five Sages, particularly Max and Michael. "I suppose I'll set up a short trial."

"Wait." Garnet stood and walked around the table towards Shenter. "Before you do anything to him, I want to see him."

Blinking, Shenter looked at the young woman. He pondered for a few moments, then nodded. "Alright. Go see him now." He passed her the keys and walked out of the Conference Room. "Good luck with him..."

----

Kuja sighed softly. "Well, this is fun. I'm alone in this dusty place with… creatures crawling all over the walls and a guy who hasn't moved at all since I got here. Maybe he's dead." The handcuffs were still on his wrists, and with no magic, he felt powerless. "Damn spiders."

He closed his eyes tightly. "I hate this place. I thought that for once, a Genome like me could be free here." His eyes opened slightly. "A place where we had freedom and weren't held back because we were different from everyone." Hugging his knees as best he could, he stared out the ten inch thick glass and at the guard who dozed across from him. "Damn this place." He looked at the motionless man beside him who was dressed in nothing but white. "Hey, you. Are you going to say anything?"

After another short silence, the man spoke. "It was all Edgar's fault."

Kuja quirked a brow. "Excuse me, I was talking about my problems, not yours."

"Edgar just **had **to live in the middle of nowhere. Ohh, I should have killed him right then and there! What was I thinking?"

"Excuse me... How about we just stop talking and find a way out of here?"

The man stood up, his blonde hair matted and clinging to his gaunt face. "This place? I hate this place. If I could get out, I'd show that Shenter who's top dog. Ohh, how I hate him! Hate hate hate **hate**!"

Kuja buried his face in his hands. "This is going nowhere fast." He spread his fingers and stared at the other man through the space. "Okay, let me try this again." He moved his hands from his face and placed them in his lap. "My name is Kuja. What's yours?"

"If I had the power of the goddesses...! Oh! I'd toast that Shenter Tenrai! He'd be well done, haha!"

Kuja smacked his head against the wall, growing impatient. "Will you answer me already?"

"Who, me? I'm the great and all-powerful Kefka. I ruled the world once. Unfortunately, that Terra and her friends ruined everything! And Edgar, whose fault it was to begin with...! That son-of-a-submariner!"

Kuja stared blankly at him. "You're a complete lunatic."

"I want **out **of this prison! Out! Now! But the glass is thick and the goddesses have abandoned me. And--what's this? You have a tail?"

Looking down at the silver tail wrapped around his thigh again, Kuja sighed and nodded. "Look, I'm not a monkey. I'm a Genome. I'm much more advanced than a human or a monkey, so don't start on how I'm an animal, cause I'll blast your head off." He bit his lip as he remembered that he no longer had magic at his disposal.

The glass door slid open, and Garnet slipped in. Before Kefka could reach the exit, it slammed shut once more.

"Oh my, the daughter of the Elephant-Lady has arrived," Kuja sneered. "So sad that you should die and leave my brother alone. So, so sad."

_Slap._

"Whatever happened to me being your canary, Kuja?"

Kuja gingerly touched the place where Garnet had dared to touch his face. Very slowly, he stood, and glared vehemously at her. "Bitch," he spat. The chains of his handcuffs rattled.

"Watch your mouth, or I'll have Shenter erase your soul this instant. He's very eager to do so." She took in the image of Kuja, glancing momentarily at theother man in the room. "I came here to see if you had any sorrow in your pathetic self. I see I was wrong to think so. You're nothing but a heartless, soulless Genome."

"I have a soul!I may be a Genome, but I'm not like them at all. I'm different from them entirely." Kuja shook his head slowly. "But I'm not afraid."

Garnet tossed her head back, hair cascading down her back and shoulders. "I'm glad." Her fingers idly brushed against her pendant. "Oh, and the person you came here with... What was his name?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Garnet quirked a slim brow. "I thought you should know he will probably be next." She turned to Kefka. "And you, if you behave yourself, perhaps I'll ask Shenter to release you early, mmkay?"

With a disgusted look on his face, Kuja stared at the floor.

Kefka forced a calm smile out. "Yes ma'am."

Garnet gave a cheerful smile before exiting the prison again. Kefka's smile crumbled. "I hate her too. She has no business being a Sage. I think she got in on her looks, which, aren't all that much."

"Queen Garnet is very pretty," Kuja said slowly, unsurely, "Alexandria adores her. Or did. I wonder how she died... It doesn't matter!" He reminded himself. "I'm about to die. Again."

----

"We both get what we want. So, what do you say? Is it a deal, or not?"

"...I see no faults with your plan. I believe, my friend, it is a deal."


	10. Dancing Mad

**Title: **Happily Ever After  
**Chapter: **Dancing Mad  
**Author: **Raserei Hojo  
**Summary: **(Changed) FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In separate worlds, two men died. They were brought together in the darkness and a friendship began to grow. In an attempt to see an opera, magic is used, and witchcraft is called.  
**Rating: **T  
**Feedback: **Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings: **Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings: **Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

_I feel like such an idiot…_

Guiltily, Sephiroth was on his stomach, resting on the soft bed, smothered with silken sheets. _While I rest here, Kuja's going to be executed. _His emerald eyes narrowed and glared at the plush floor. _What do I care, though? He's just a brat. An annoying, self-centered brat. Who cares what happens to him? Certainly… Not myself…_

A strained breath escaped his lips as his gaze came to rest on the Masamune—polished and standing upright, leaning against the wall near the shut door, its sheathe close by. He smiled softly. "Such a shame to have not confiscated my weapon. Although, it is more of a shame for them, I think."

Pushing himself up, he winced and collapsed on the bed again as the pain seared each and every delicate cell within his body. He still wasn't fully healed, and the 'pain-killers' of Terra-Matra only made the pain intensify.

"Alright then. I'm a soldier, I know when to quit. Rest will suit me now, and then in the early morning I'll see if there's anything I can do."

Sephiroth closed his eyes, with no intention of sleeping. However, despite his decision, exhaustion quickly changed his plans and swept him into darkness.

---

"_I'm not a 'thing,' I'm human too! Why don't you treat me like I'm a person with feelings? I'm not just a machine! I don't exist for you to twist and bend me as you please. Maybe I don't want to listen to your every order, and maybe I want to have a life of my own!"_

_A soft creak of a door that desperately needed oil._

"_Hey! Listen to me! I'm not like you! I don't have to be bound to this stupid place, I don't have to follow the rules you try to bind me to! I'm my own person. Are you listening to me?"_

_There was nothing, and the darkness pressed closer._

"_Answer me! Don't you have anything to say?"_

_The soft sound of a sword sliding across a sheathe was his only response._

"_Fine. I'm leaving, and I dare you to stop me. I dare you to try and tell me what to do, even once more!"_

---

"_I'm not like them."_

"_Yes you are. You are like them in every single way, except for your hair. That is an exception."_

"_I'm not a mindless drone. I have a soul. I'm different. Why is that so hard to understand that?"_

"_No matter how many times you say you're different, that doesn't make it a reality. You will stay here, completing the petty tasks I give you. And, if I see fit, you will rot here with the others that you claim to be different from."_

"_That's a terrible fate. I won't let myself die that way. I refuse to die at your hand."_

"_Your will is far too strong, and if you continue to be the rowdy person you are, you won't be alive for much longer. Do you understand?"_

_He nodded. "Of course I understand." _But that doesn't mean I have to listen to you for the rest of my life.

---

Kuja opened his eyes. "I'm not like them, and I refuse…to die like Garland intended." He sat up, glancing around the room. With his gaze settling on Kefka, he sighed and forced himself to stand. "First things first. These handcuffs need to come off."

A pile of small mouse bones rested in the corner, and Kuja decided that he could test his magic on that. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the image of the bones. Briefly, he imagined them lifting up, floating up and away from the floor that gravity had bound it to. With that image in his mind, he summoned a fragment of his remaining magic energy and cast a levitation spell on the bones.

Laughter bubbled in Kefka's through, and he laughed at Kuja's magic attempt.

Kuja opened his eyes, and hesitantly looked towards the bones. If they hadn't levitated, he was doomed with no way of escaping.

But good fortune was with him; the bones had floated.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent. I should have enough magic to get the key from the guard and slip it through the glass. But that glass is thick, and I don't know if I can make it transparent for long…"

"Uwee hee hee."

Kuja's brows knitted together. He didn't quite know…why…but that was the most annoying laugh he had ever heard. "You're breaking my concentration, you know."

"So what? You won't have magic left for long!"

"If I have no magic then we'll both be stuck in here until our souls are destroyed."

"You're wrong! You'll be destroyed! I'll get out on good behavior! Uwee! Hee hee!"

Kuja turned and calmly looked at Kefka. Without another thought, he cast a Silence spell on him and returned his gaze to the sleeping guard. "I forgot about him. If he wakes up and sees me casting magic, I can say goodbye to my escape."

Kefka's hands darted to his throat as he soundlessly gasped. He mouthed the words 'hate' repeatedly while Kuja concentrated on the key. He meticulously slid the key from the man's loose grasp. Kefka stomped his foot on the floor, the noise distracting Kuja.

The key shuddered in the air and fell with a clatter to the floor. Kuja held his breath has he intently watched the guard, praying to whichever deities would listen to him that the guard was a heavy sleeper.

The guard's hand fell limp at his side, but no more motion other than that was made. Again, Kuja sighed with relief, his eyes narrowing and glaring at Kefka.

"Stop distracting me. I don't want to be here with a megalomaniac. If you'll just go sit in a corner and be still, we can both get out of here. If not, then I will just allow myself to get out." He pressed himself against the glass, searching for the keyhole. "It has to be somewhere out there." He focused as best as he could past the glass, but it was ten inches thick and everything seemed to have a fishbowl-like appearance.

"I could make the glass transparent now… But if my magic runs out, I'll be trapped in ten inches of glass, just like a sculpture."

He saw it. Cattycorner of the guard was the keyhole. "Mm… Actually, wasting magic to get that key was pretty pointless. When the glass slides open it's loud." He glanced at Kefka. "I'm feeling generous and quite lucky today. Care to take a gamble?"

Kefka regarded Kuja, still voiceless.

"You see, I have no idea how much magic I have left. If I can keep the glass transparent for a few seconds, we can get out of here. If not, well, we'll be glass sculptures. What do you say? Are you willing to take the risk?"

When Kefka didn't respond, Kuja cast an Esuna on him.

"Glass sculptures, eh?"

"The finest in the world if my magic fails."

"You're really confident about this, aren't you?"

Kuja smiled briefly. "Well, you can't always be depressed. Bad things can't keep happening to you all the time, am I correct?"

Kefka crossed his arms over his chest. "Right, well when you're frozen in that glass I'll laugh."

"You're not coming with me?"

Growling, Kefka stalked over to the glass. "I'm coming with you! And I'll make you sorry you chose to take me along."

Kuja nodded. "Alright." He closed his eyes, summoning the last of his magic.

"I'm ruining my chances of getting out on good behavior."

"Kefka, you will _never _have good behavior. Now stop making me lose my concentration!"

---

The Masamune was gone. Sephiroth by now had torn the room apart entirely, and in the end he fruitlessly collapsed on the bed and anger. "It was there last night. I saw it before I fell asleep!" He closed his eyes, calming himself down. "Okay, collect your thoughts… collect your thoughts… What could have happened to your sword, Sephiroth?"

He gathered his memories of last night— his resolution to help Kuja, the dream… "The dream… That noise… That creaking noise… That was from the door." Sephiroth sat up and glanced over at the door that was left ajar. It had been closed before. "And the sound of a sword being slid into its sheathe—that was _my _sword!"

Sephiroth quickly stood and ran to the door. "I truly am an idiot." He wrenched it open and stalked down the hall like a cat focused on its prey. The only person who had the key to his room was Shenter, and he would be the only one with enough authority to confiscate the Masamune.

"I swear, if he so much even handles my sword improperly, I'll make sure his soul his destroyed."

---

Kuja and Kefka stumbled forward, past the glass, and a hairsbreadth away from the guard.

"Come on," Kefka whispered, silently crossing the room and heading towards the stairs.

Kuja could feel his magic draining quickly, and he silently cursed the handcuffs. He used the very last of his magic to levitate the guard into the cell. The moment the guard had passed through, his magic ran dry, and the guard fell onto the hard floor.

Waving innocently at the guard, Kuja and Kefka hurried up the stairs and threw open the door.

---

"Get off of me!"

And collided right into Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth!"

"…Kuja?"

Kuja grabbed Sephiroth's arm happily. "It's so good to see you!"

Sephiroth's brows knitted together. "But… I thought…" He shook his head then turned his attention towards Kefka. "And this is…?"

"I am the god, Kefka."

Kuja shushed him and helped Sephiroth off, but before he or Kefka could say another word, Kuja dragged Sephiroth out of the palace and into the daylight.

"Kuja!" Sephiroth whispered harshly. "Aren't you supposed to be in prison? Your execution date is tomorrow!"

"Well I'm glad I got out then. You don't seem to happy about it."

Sephiroth blinked slowly. "I am happy. I just don't understand how you got out."

"Oh, Sephiroth, Sephiroth, Sephiroth…" Kuja grinned and shook his head. "I may look a bit feminine, but that does not in any way mark me as being unable to defend myself. We have to get out of Terra-Matra, though."

Raising a brow, Sephiroth regarded Kuja. "…And where are we to go?"

"I don't know! Out of here! And quickly, people are starting to stare." Kuja resumed pulling Sephiroth along the road, ignoring the confused gazes of the citizens, praying no one knew he was supposed to be rotting in prison til tomorrow.

"What about those handcuffs?"

"Oh… I don't know, I'll find some way to get them off. It doesn't bother me much anymore, it's already drained all my magic."

"You're… so resourceful."

"Oh, and Sephiroth?"

"Yes, Kuja?"

Kuja smiled softly and gazed up at him. "Thanks for coming to save me, even if you were a little late." He winked and took off ahead of Sephiroth, who was left behind to stare after him dumbly for a few moments.

"Kuja! Wait up!"


	11. Camping

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Camping  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In separate worlds, two men died. They were brought together in the darkness and a friendship began to grow. In an attempt to see an opera, magic is used, and witchcraft is called.  
**Rating:** T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

The stars glowed softly, barely bright enough to be seen in the dead of night. Even the moon seemed dim, covered by thin, transparent clouds. Beneath the still-darkening sky, Sephiroth and Kuja had set up camp as best they could.

"We can't keep the fire going for long," Sephiroth whispered. He took the fern pieces he had collected and spread them out into makeshift beds. "They could be looking for us."

Kuja's was silent, the image of the fire reflecting in his softened cerulean colored eyes. "My I ask you a personal question? It's not too personal, but I'd thought I would just ask for your permission.

Sephiroth looked up, silver locks falling into his face, covering his eyes. "What is it?"

Looking aside, Kuja chewed on his bottom lip, pondering how to put his question into words. Sephiroth seemed to have a split personality at times, and if he was spoken to in the slightest wrong manner, the results were opaque. Unsure of how to say his thoughts, Kuja decided bluntly would have to do.

"Why did you come with me?

"I do believe it was you who took me by the arm anda dragged me out into the wilderness."

Kuja nodded slowly. "Yes, but you didn't have to stay. If they catch you with me, they'll kill you too. I don't want my hands soiled with another death."

With a frown, Sephiroth sat on the ground and furrowed his brows together. "I'm not quite sure why I'm still here with you. Usually, I would have left a person alone to deal with the situation themselves. But you're different, I guess. You're almost like a friend."

"A friend…"

It was strange to actually have something called a "friend." For a moment, he smiled as he remembered his short time with Sephiroth. Even in the past few weeks he had known Sephiroth, he was truly a unique man with the most bewildering personality he had ever seen.

In an attempt to continue their conversation, Kuja decided he would attempt to learn more about Sephiroth. He would have to if he and Sephiroth considered themselves "friends."

"Tell me about your world, Sephiroth…" The curiosity had taken over Kuja's mind, and he couldn't stand to not know any longer.

Sephiroth absentmindedly sprinkled dirt onto the flames. "It couldn't have been much different from yours."

"Well, were there airships? Those are so fascinating."

"Of course there were airships." Sephiroth continued to snuff out the fire. "Airships, trains, automobiles, all sorts of transportation. My world didn't delve too deeply into the arts—such as your fascination with plays, the people from my planet wouldn't have even thought of going to something so frivolous."

Kuja laughed delightedly. "I see! In my world, you either traveled on foot, by airship, or my least favorite, on the back of a Chocobo."

At that, Sephiroth laughed. "We have Chocobos as well. They're also very lovely cooked, the meat is very tender and falls right off the bone."

"You're…barbaric." The image of a fluffy, yellow feathered Chocobo entered his mind, and then Sephiroth skinning it and eating it raw. His stomach churned, now having lost his appetite. Shenter had said something about needs like hunger and thirst not being existent outside of Terra-Matra, but the hunger had been gnawing at him all evening.

"We had to eat. Besides, it's not like they're going to be extinct. It's not…like I'll be there to see it anyway…." Sephiroth sighed softly. "So strange. I think I'm actually growing homesick."

"Well, if you could go back, would you?"

Sephiroth merely shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm quite content here, camping out with you. I feel like I'm taking my SOLDIER test, sitting out on the battlefield, waiting for my commanding officer to give me an order… Haha… I'm feeling so reminiscent. But truly, I don't mind being here with you. It's a bit fun, actually. I like the idea that our lives are in danger and it's up to us to survive."

"Haha, yes, it certainly is fun running away from a town that wants me dead. So tell me, was there a girl you fancied back home?"

Sephiroth's gaze turned very suspicious. "Maybe." He stared calmly at Kuja, examining his face. "Why?"

Kuja blinked a few times, not understanding Sephiroth's expression. And then it dawned on him. "Oh! No, no! That wasn't what I meant, honestly! I was just curious as to how popular you were with the women. After all, not everyone is as tall and handsome and strong as you."

"Right."

"You don't believe me? I swear, I wasn't trying to flirt with you, I just wanted to continue the conversation."

"You act as if I'm a man-whore or something."

"Uhm, well, are you?"

"Does it look like I am to you, Kuja?"

Kuja looked Sephiroth up and down, trying not to gaze too long at the stern expression cast upon Sephiroth's face. He was just too pretty to have not bedded a woman by now, and he had to be in his early thirties. "I'm not sure, but from the looks of things, you've had a few women to yourself."

Sephiroth shrugged again. "If you must know, I've dated a few women. I've fooled around a bit, but nothing too serious. Never any penetration."

"Never…?"

"Never."

"So...you're…a virgin?"

Another shrug. "If you want to call me that, I suppose. I was never too interested in sex. Always on the battlefield…too busy wondering if I was going to make it through the day. The training was harsh, and Shin-Ra was mostly men anyway. The women I've been with were nice, but the ones that were always chasing me were sluts. Whores."

"Wow…" _Sephiroth's being really open… It's strange. I would have assumed he would have told me it was none of his business. It really…surprises me._

"What about you?"

"Ah…me?" Now Sephiroth was actually _interested _in his personal life? What the hell was going on with him? "Well… I suppose I had been too busy trying to live and not submitting myself to Garland… I had all this power, and right when I had it, I died. Maybe if I had lived I would have found a nice girl… or something."

Sephiroth leaned in closer. "Are Genomes different?"

"Different? What do you mean?" _He remembered my race's name? Very strange indeed…_

"Well, do they all look like you? Do they all feel the same things you do?"

"That's like asking if all humans are identical. They're not similar to me, but they are similar to each other. They all have blonde hair and blue eyes and they used to walk around on Terra staring at a bright blue light that would 'eventually' turn red. It never did, until I destroyed it."

"And then it was red with blood and explosions?"

Kuja couldn't help but laugh at Sephiroth's eagerness. "Well, explosions. No blood. My brother managed to get the soulless Genomes off of Terra using the Invincible, a Terran airship. Damn little thief…! I loved that ship."

"Poor little Kuja…"

Kuja slowly looked at Sephiroth, amazed to see a content smile and warm green eyes focused on him. "You've never been interested in anything about me, and you've never been very interested in sharing information about yourself. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I'm not sure… When I'm around you I don't feel like I have to seclude myself. I can sort of be myself, and I know you might get mad, but it won't last for long. You're just… really understanding. Nothing at all like the people from my home world…"

"The people of Gaia were cruel too. Not so much to me, I was busy terrorizing them with my magic." His eyes glanced down towards the handcuffs. "But they treated those who looked different than them like dirt. My Black Mages were hated and despised, my brother was made fun of for his tail, the Burmecians had troubles wherever they went…"

"I don't understand what the big deal is. The outside appearance doesn't matter."

Kuja smiled softly, finding that he had in fact grown quite close to him already. It was nice to have someone around…someone who didn't have weapon every minute of the day.

"Well then, I guess we should get some sleep, eh?" Sephiroth stood and brushed himself off, heading to the makeshift beds. "The fire should be dead at around midnight, so we'll be fine.

"Oh…right…"

"Goodnight, Kuja."

Slowly standing himself and crossing to his bed, he nodded towards Sephiroth, "Goodnight…"

----

_Why does it smell like…eggs? And meat…? Really, really good meat…_Kuja opened his eyes to see Sephiroth, his back turned to Kuja, cooking. He was using a thin rock for a frying pan and the fire from last night. The rock was even propped up securely with sticks. "And I'm resourceful?"

"Do you like your present?"

"My…present?"

"Look down."

Kuja, confused and weary, looked down, and saw that his hands were free of the handcuffs. He held up his hands and twisted his wrists.

"You're a very heavy sleeper."

Laughing nervously, Kuja rubbed his sore wrists. "Yeah… How'd you get the handcuffs off?"

"Magic."

"Magic?"

"No, no, not your kind of magic. My kind of magic." His hand groped around in the grass for a small colored ball of glass. "This is Materia. A fire Materia at that. I just used a weak spell and the chains melted right off." Sephiroth stood and glanced at Kuja. "Would you care for some breakfast?"

"Sure!"

Sephiroth passed Kuja a thin, clean rock, with scrambled eggs and a meat that looked like ham. When Kuja eyed it suspiciously, Sephiroth gave a smirk.

"Go on, eat it. I swear, I'm a great cook. I can even bake cakes."

Delicately, Kuja picked up a piece of the meat and tasted it. "It's… good…" The most tender, delicious meat he had ever eaten, to be honest.

"Good! It's Chocobo meat."

Kuja stared at the meat on the rock still. "Choco…bo…" He swallowed the remaining meat in his mouth. "…meat?"

"Mhmm."

"Sephiroth!"

"Haha, I'm kidding. Go on, eat, I swear! It's not Chocobo meat."

Kuja growled, but silently ate his food. He was starving, he couldn't help it.

And, it would remain Sephiroth's little secret that it was indeed Chocobo meat and Chocobo eggs that Kuja was eating.


	12. Deja Vu

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Deja vu  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In two separate worlds, two young men with different goals died. In the darkness, they meet. But, within a short amount of time, will their souls be erased from time as the law states?  
**Rating: **T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

**-------------------------------**

"They've escaped."

"Yes, I know. An ex-SOLDIER who was once the general of an army, equipped with knowledge of battle and strategy… And a Genome who's delved into the powers of the elements with intelligence much higher than an average human's. Teamed together…"

"I'm surprised."

"By what?"

"Calling the Genome smart, and seeming to have pride for the general."

"Oh, I have no pride. I'm just explaining that those two together are very dangerous creatures. It's combining the best physical attributes with the best magical attributes—you can't be super-powerful with both, it's one or the other. But that alone will bring about their downfall.

----

Sephiroth and Kuja had been walking for three days, still unable to locate some kind of civilization. Kuja had finally lost all traces of a positive attitude, while Sephiroth seemed withdrawn and very distant. Their trek though the desert area was mostly silent, except for Kuja's vain attempts to stir up conversation. Recently, it seemed that only a complaint would urge Sephiroth to speak.

"We should go back," Kuja suggested.

Sephiroth merely glanced down at him. "Why?"

"It's pointless! There's nothing out here; no food, no water, no shelter… Just this sweltering heat…"

Sephiroth chuckled softly at Kuja.

"What? I wasn't built for the heat! My hair is soaked with sweat…it's sticking to my face! My clothes feel so heavy and I think my legs are about to fall off. And what's worse, I can't help but feel guilty for dragging you out here to suffer with me."

"You only seem to complain about the desert."

"I know I sound bitchy, but I'm not one to hold things inside. If I'm unhappy, you'll know, and if I don't talk, you don't seem to want to talk either."

"And if you're unhappy?" Sephiroth ran his fingers through his hair to push it from his face. His bangs were starting to get annoying.

Kuja stopped to ponder, staring down at the sand. He truly did miss the forest. "Well, you would know, I suppose. Like now, I'm happy I'm not dead."

"Well, there's a start. But you know, you are dead. But at least you're trying, and I know what you meant." Sephiroth stared ahead. "I think I see buildings—or mountains."

"Buildings? That means another town! Or a _city_!" Kuja ran a few steps ahead. "Truly?"

"I'm not sure." Sephiroth shrugged with a sigh and followed Kuja. "Don't get your hopes up; it will only hurt more if I'm wrong. I don't want you to go blaming me."

Kuja shadowed his eyes from the sun. "How much further do you think those mountains or buildings you see are?"

"We should be able to make it there if we keep walking all day and all evening as well. We should get there a few hours before sunrise if we walk fast enough." Sephiroth leaned forward. "No, it looks like we'll have to get through a mountain pass or a cave when we do get there."

Kuja sighed. "Lovely." He looked up at the sky and glared at the glowing orange orb that refused to hide behind the clouds.

Ten long hours later and the sun was only beginning to sink beneath the horizon. Kuja was just about to thank the deities who cared to listen, when a glow of orange peered up above a hill on the other side. "…Oh no."

Sephiroth glanced at the light. "It looks like this planet is circling around at least two stars."

"But the sun just went down, another one _can't _come up already, can it?"

"I'm afraid it can. Even if it was night before, who knows how this planet works? We don't even know if it has its own axis. It could be the stars that circle around the planet."

"But if there are stars, do you think that this place…is somewhere near our own planets?" Kuja watched Sephiroth's brows knit together in concentration, pleased that he was thinking hard.

"I think…that if this planet is the world of the dead…"

"…Then?"

"Then the stars must be dead too. After all, they don't live forever, and the stars by our planets will eventually die, and our worlds will be without light." Sephiroth's eyes softened a bit. "The birds, the trees… Everything here must have already died in some manner."

"What about magic?"

"I don't know about magic, it's not a living thing, really. It takes life energy from the person who casts it unless they're using Materia."

"Oh, I thought you would say that the magic we can conjure here is only magic someone else had conjured in their own world."

"That could be too. I don't know, Kuja, I'm not an encyclopedia."

Within another four hours, the two had reached the cave. Kuja was exhausted and wanted to rest. He knew Sephiroth was inhuman, but he knew not even the general could hike in a desert for over fifteen hours and not be tired. "We need water, I think."

Sephiroth seemed to be staring into the cavern, ignoring Kuja. "…This world is getting on my nerves."

"Why?" Kuja slowly looked at the cave. Wisps of silvery white frost clung to the rocks, cold air blew out, and he couldn't see why such a nice cool cave would bother Sephiroth. "We've been in the desert all day with no water! I think the cool breeze is refreshing."

"We can't go in there."

"And why not?"

Sephiroth closed his eyes and thought of how to explain to Kuja. It wasn't that he thought Kuja wasn't as smart as he was, it was just that Kuja needed to be spoken to directly. So, he might as well be blunt.

"We can't go in there because our bodies might go into shock. The chance isn't high, but it's possible."

Kuja sat in the sand in front of the entrance, nearly purring in contentment. "Well, that's fine. I can stay at the right temperature from here, and we can rest while you fetch some water."

"I have nothing to hold water in."

Kuja leaned forward. "Go make something, Crafty. You made breakfast on top of rocks! I'm sure you can make a bucket or something, then I can melt the ice here into water."

Sephiroth didn't move.

"Do you want me to do it?"

Slowly shaking his head, wet silver hair bouncing, Sephiroth turned and walked off tracking down things he could use to form a bucket.

----

"They've escaped."

"Yes, milord…"

Shenter leaned close to the guard who had been guarding Kuja and Kefka's cell. "And you're telling me now?"

"Well, you see, I have a _very _good explanation…"

Crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm waiting."

The guard found it hard to swallow. The highest Sage's sapphire eyes were like diamonds, hard and ready to cut.

"The Genome used magic!"

"I know. That's why he was in the prison in the first place. What I don't understand is how _you _ended up in the cell."

"I-I was checking up on them, to make sure they weren't plotting anything, err, evil."

"I see. And, apparently they were."

"Oh please, please don't destroy my soul! Demote me, fire me! I just don't want to be wiped from existence!"

Shenter's fingers slowly swept the hair from his face. "I'll think about it."

"Oh! Thank you, milord!"

"Yeah, whatever." Shenter shook his head and walked off, his unruly hair falling back into his face. "But now I'll have to recapture that Genome. Kefka would be free soon anyway… and Sephiroth… I'll have to arrest him as well for assisting the Genome. I wonder why the two left together… From as far as I can see… They're not even friends…"

----

Kuja was dozing by now, curled up in the soft warm sand. His tail had wrapped itself several times around his thigh, the silver fur shimmering in the sunlight. He was very comfortable in the middle of the desert with cool air brushing over him. The thought of being ambushed by anyone had never entered his mind; he had Sephiroth around, and with the shading of the cave, everything was perfect.

At least two hours had passed before he finally opened his eyes and with bleary vision, looked around. It was dark now, the stars faintly glowing in the distance. Kuja was about to return to his slumber, but he realized where he was and decided he had slept enough. Stretching, Kuja stood, silver tail uncurling from his thigh. "Sephiroth?"

"Yes?"

Kuja started and twisted around, staring at Sephiroth. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I'd thought that you needed to sleep. After all, it wouldn't be very fun trekking through this ice cavern without any sleep." Sephiroth held out his hands, cradling a rock with a deep indent. "I found this and figured it would be good enough. There's nothing else out here but rocks."

Kuja took it and stared down at it. "It looks cold already, and fresh. Where did you get it."

Sephiroth looked aside, as if he was guilty. "This water is definitely much purer than the water from my planet."

With his gaze lingering on Sephiroth, Kuja downed the water. It tasted…different, but not in a bad way. "It really must be pure. I've never tasted water without chlorine and whatnot in it."

"Hah. It's nice, isn't it?" Sephiroth looked back towards Kuja, who nodded.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Sephiroth stood and brushed himself off, looking towards the eerie blue of the icy cavern. "Have you ever been here?"

Kuja slowly shook his head. "No, but I've heard of it. It was in my world, and it connected the Evil Forest, Alexandria, and Dali together. I haven't seen anything from your world yet…"

Sephiroth shrugged. "I was thinking we were from the same world, but from different time periods. After all, my planet didn't even have a name like yours does."

"Maybe…"

Kuja led the way into the Ice Cavern, wondering if he and Sephiroth would meet a certain little someone… A wrecked creation, that did in fact die… And he wondered if he would have returned. Not that Kuja was worried, he created it, he could take it out easily.

----

**Author's Note:** _This chapter is truly a miracle. Its existance is a miracle! Take a look at all my stories, two of them are stuck on chapter eleven. It's when this huge writer's block kicks in and goes haywire, and I can never finish a story. It's sad, and that's why I'm really happy that I finished this chapter, even if it's not the best. So please, review? Give me inspiration to continue onto chapter thirteen! Thanks!_


	13. Icy Resort

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Icy Resort  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In separate worlds, two men died. They were brought together in the darkness and a friendship began to grow. In an attempt to see an opera, magic is used, and witchcraft is called.  
**Rating:** T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

The inside of the ice cavern was really quite beautiful—translucent icicles hung from the ceiling and spurted artistically from the blue hued walls while the soft glimmer of light reflected this way and that. The light cast images that the two travelers would have found intriguing, had they not been freezing to near-death.

Kuja couldn't control his shivering at all. His entire body felt like it was being burned by fire. He sort of wished that it was true, currently preferring the heat to the cold. "C-Can't we just find a nice, m-mild… place to t-travel through?"

Sephiroth didn't answer.

Shaking his head and tightly hugging himself, Kuja lead the way forward. "It seems much longer than… than I remember." He glanced up at Sephiroth, who seemed to be unaffected by the cold. "Aren't you cold… a-at all?"

"Of course I am." Sephiroth shrugged and then slithered out of his trench coat. "But here, you're much colder than I am." He draped the coat over Kuja's shoulders. "I can live with a cotton shirt… You said it only took twenty minutes to get through the cave, right?"

Kuja pulled the coat closer to his body, sighing in relief as the warmth enveloped his body. "It was supposed to be only a twenty minute walk. I think an hour has passed."

Pointing ahead of them, Sephiroth directed Kuja's attention to the upcoming indoor blizzard. "Anything you can do about that?"

"I'm afraid not. I can't counter natural weather."

"Natural? It's snowing _inside _of a cavern, Kuja."

Kuja rolled his eyes. "Am I rubbing off on you?"

"Maybe. After I get my trench coat back, we'll see if you really are rubbi—" Sephiroth came to a sudden halt. "I…heard something."

Kuja's heart sank. "Don't stop, keep walking. Walk as fast as you can." He forced his frozen legs to run up ahead, into the blizzard.

"It's not like we can die…Right?" Sephiroth couldn't help but wonder what happened to people who died without having their soul destroyed. Was it possible to die still? He hated not knowing.

"Sephiroth!"

"I'm coming!" Sephiroth took a step forward and staggered. "Maybe not…" The sound of the bell ringing ricocheted off the walls of the cavern as he pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead. "I feel…sort of dizzy…"

"Come on, Sephiroth! Stop thinking about the situation and _move_! You'll die if you just stand there! Hurry up!" Kuja bit his lip, growing nervous. Sephiroth had never shown any weakness before, why was he showing it now? "Please! Don't you want your coat back?" He took a step towards Sephiroth.

Sephiroth understood what Kuja was saying, but he couldn't bring his body to move at all. All of his energy seemed to have drained completely away, and he was so tired… And he wanted to know why. The answer soon came to him.

_A sleeping spell…Not even a normal one, but something…inhuman._

The bell rang again, this time more clearly and much more distinct. The harsh winds of the blizzard faded until all he could hear was the soft ringing of the bell and Kuja's muffled voice. He briefly felt himself collapse to his knees and fall forward into the snow, blacking out.

Panic swept over Kuja like a tidal wave. His protector had just passed out in the snow, and he was now alone, vulnerable to any attacks from anyone.

"Damn that bell! Damn that stupid Black Waltz!" He stared helplessly at Sephiroth from behind the blizzard. "He'll freeze… I don't want to take the chance of him dying again… But if I go any closer, I'll pass out too… Then we'll both die, or whatever happens to be when they die a second time." He slowly turned towards the path out of the cavern.

Curling his hands into fists, he gathered his broken courage and walked down the path. As he walked into the cavern that his first Black Waltz had always dwelt in, the trench coat fell from his shoulders and settled into the snow as he came to a stop.

Indeed, Black Waltz I was there, perched atop the highest ledge, staring down at him with gleaming yellow eyes.

_I made it… I can break it. _Kuja took a breath and held his head high. He resumed walking towards his creation and stopped only when he was under it. "I thought you would be here, Black Waltz."

The Black Waltz stayed silent, watching Kuja, never taking its gaze from him. Its eyes seemed to narrow as its gloved hand curled around the wooden staff it possessed.

"Answer me!" Kuja called. The silence made him feel uneasy. "I order you to speak!"

Refusing Kuja's orders for the moment, Black Waltz I hopped down to the lower ledge.

Kuja took a step back. He had made it pitifully weak, so…

_Why am I so afraid…? Is it because… he's not with me? I mean, I can handle this on my own, I don't need anybody else. I've become dependant on him, haven't I?_

"Kuja, breed of the silver-haired Genomes, seventh Genome created, first Genome to be given a soul."

Kuja forced out a laugh and placed his hands on his hips. "Thanks for the report, glad you still remember me. Now I order you to stop the blizzard this instant, before you're in pain." He narrowed his eyes and scowled for the full effect. He would seriously murder the Black Waltz if anything happened to Sephiroth.

"My Master wishes for me to destroy all Silver Breed Genomes." It pointed its staff at Kuja menacingly. "You're the only Silver Breed Genome in this world."

"And just who is your master, Black Waltz?"

"I am afraid that the information is not available to a lowly Genome such as yourself." Black Waltz I jabbed at Kuja with its staff, taunting him. "My orders are as my Master states, and that is to take you out. To wipe you completely from existence. To make sure you're never reincarnated as anything."

"So this 'Master' of yours…reprogrammed you. I'm not surprised, anyone with a bit of knowledge of technology and how it works could have done it." Unfortunately, that didn't narrow it down very much, and he had absolutely no idea who was in the World of the Dead. A few names came to mind, one in particular…

The Black Waltz readied its staff and began a spell.

It was a simple, normal spell. One that Kuja had seen that prototype "Vivi" cast before.

It was a Death spell.

The dark circle appeared in front of Kuja. His heart nearly stopped. The blood in his veins ran even colder, and Kuja knew his face was paling. The skeleton rose, scythe in hand, clothed in the Grim Reaper's black robe. It rose the scythe, and Kuja stopped breathing.

"Kill!" Shouted Black Waltz I.

As the scythe came down, he could _feel _the remaining "life" his body held being drained from him. The lack of energy forced him to his knees, and he stared with blurry vision at the golden bell. He reached out to snatch it.

But the Black Waltz pulled it away as the Grim Reaper vanished. It ran its gloved hands over the bell protectively as a mother would to her child. "You may not die, but you're weak enough to pass out."

"Give me the bell."

The Black Waltz tossed his golden bell into the air and caught it with both hands. Then, holding it by the handle, raised it above Kuja's head. If it had a face, Kuja swore it would be smiling. He didn't remember ever programming such cold emotions into that _thing_.

"Give me the bell!" Kuja lunged at his old creation, pinning it to the ground. But his minute weight wasn't enough to keep it there. Black Waltz I threw him off and gathered energy into the palm of its hand.

"I do believe you said you were cold?" It laughed a laugh that could make the hair rise on the back of someone's neck. "How about a little fire to warm you up?"

Kuja scowled. _Sarcasm. Now I'm positive someone's completely reprogrammed my Mage._

It hurled the fireball at Kuja, and without any shield or protection, he took it full blast.

The fire burned his clothes and his skin, but he quickly managed to pat out any flames before they grew too large. He vaguely realized that he would have to get yet _another _set of clothes he hated.

Breathing hard and exhausted from the Death spell still, Kuja struggled, rising to his feet. "Okay, I'm through playing games with you. You're not keeping that bell any longer." He didn't care how cold he was. Gathering the energy for a magic attack, he felt his arm go numb, which truly didn't surprise him. With a graceful twirl and flick of his wrist, the Blizzaga spell shot from his fingertips.

Barely harming the Black Waltz by grazing its side, it merely laughed at him. "What lovely aim you have! Please, make sure that your lover doesn't put any apples on his head for you to shoot at."

The bell in Black Waltz's hand had frozen solid though, and it cracked.

Kuja stared blankly at the mage, completely clueless as to whom it would be talking about. _But… the only person that I even know here is… Se…phi…roth…?_

"What are you implying?"

The Black Waltz, unaware of its frozen bell laughed again. "We've been watching you."

_Oh, great, now that Shenter Sage freak has spies. Ugh… Hey wait a minute! What did it mean by… "lover"? I really do hope it's confused. Greatly. Because Sephiroth's waaaay too manly to be bisexual. Or gay. Why am I even _thinking _this? I really do hate that thing…_

Kuja gathered another energy ball and hurled the blizzard spell at the bell, which prompty shattered. "That's what you get for gloating."

Instead of simply falling over, powerless without its bell, Black Waltz I vanished in a puff of plumb colored smoke.

"It's definitely not dead. But I can't worry about that now." He quickly picked up Sephiroth's trench coat and ran back towards the previous room, hugging the coat to his chest.

"Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth was kneeling in the snow, brushing the snowflakes out of his hair, looking completely confused and ignorant of what had just happened.

"Oh good…you're still here…Sephy."

Sephiroth's head snapped up. "…What?"

"Passing out just because of a little cold? Hah! Someone's gotten a bit weak, eh?"

Snatching his coat from Kuja's grip, Sephiroth put it back on and glared down at the Genome. "Shut up."

"Eh…?"

"Don't call me 'Sephy.' It's…not my name, okay?"

"Heheh. Yessir, Sephiroth." A fun new way for Kuja to annoy him. At least he wouldn't be bored anymore.

"You're like a child who calls her parent by their first name." Shaking his head, Sephiroth patted Kuja on the head and started walking towards the exit.

Kuja followed and bowed his head. _Lover… Even if there _was _the possibility… I could never satisfy Sephiroth. Our personalities don't match… and I'm thinking about it again. I wasn't before… Dammit. I hate this! But he is very handsome… And I don't think Sephiroth even has an interest in women! How could he like me?_

_Oh, but if he doesn't like women, he must like men then. But… maybe he's one of those asexual creatures who doesn't want sex? Gah! I don't know! I'm getting much too in-depth for my taste. Sephiroth is my friend. Sephiroth is my friend. Sephiroth is my really handsome dashing prince…but still just my friend!_

"Kuja?"

"Uhm… Yes, Seph…iroth?" _I'll only encourage these thoughts if I give him a nickname!_

"Can you believe…" Sephiroth gestured to the land outside of the cavern, "that there is a _beach _outside of the Ice Cavern."

"Oh, I can believe anything just about now."

Stepping out into the warm sunlight, Sephiroth and Kuja both sighed heavily with relief.

"Praise the beings that made this place!" Kuja nearly purred as he stepped forward.

Sephiroth looked around, examining the premises. His SOLDIER skills always seemed to take over…

"I've never been here myself… but I've heard of this place."

Kuja whirled around to face Sephiroth. "Really? Finally! A place from _your _world. I must say, I like this place much better than the Ice Cavern. It's not even too hot! There's shade, there's the ocean, there are some shops… If only we had money."

"I have money."

"You have money?" Kuja leaned in close to Sephiroth, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Well… I have my world's currency. I'm not sure if they'll take it. But hell, it could be worth more than the current currency. It's called Gil…"

"We used Gil too." Kuja tilted his head, pleased to make a discovery that connected him and Sephiroth in a strange sort of way. "So what is this beach called?"

"As the sign reads…" Sephiroth pointed to the sigh behind Kuja and three feet above him, "Costa De Sol."

"That's a pretty name."

"If you say so."

Kuja took Sephiroth by the hand and forcefully dragged him off. "Come on! I want to see the beach and then we can buy some new clothes!"

"H-Hey! I don't want to go to the beach! Let go!" He pulled away, but he wasn't particularly trying. Rolling his eyes, Sephiroth allowed himself to be dragged down the steps and towards the ocean.

"Last time I saw an ocean, it was at Wutai, during the war."

Kuja peered down at the water. "Were they good memories?"

After a moment, Sephiroth nodded. "Yes, I suppose they were good memories. But what about you? When was the last time you saw an ocean?"

"When I killed my sweet Canary's mother."

"Oh, homicide, was it?"

Kuja smiled wickedly. "No, it was actually genocide. A lot of genocide…. It was fun."

"Ah, yes, shedding the blood of millions can be very fun indeed. Blood can be shed just as easily as tears can be shed from a person… But blood is much easier to attain."

"…Mr. Poet."

"And I didn't even know it." Sephiroth laughed softly and looked around the beach. Kuja closely followed his gaze.

There was an awful lot of women in bikinis there… But thankfully, Sephiroth's gaze didn't linger _too _long on them. Not that Kuja minded, or so he told himself. Sephiroth's eyes landed on a man though, and his eyes grew wide and his skin paled considerably.

"Uhm… Sephiroth?"

"Pro…"

Lounging on a beach chair was a middle-aged man with greasy black hair and long nose. Thick lens glasses were perched on the tip of his nose as he moved his legs every now and then. He was surrounded by women, all of them in bikinis.

Kuja caught a bit of their conversation, something about "never taking his lab coat off, even in this heat!"

"Professor…Hojo… He's here…?"

"Who's this Professor Hojo?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "…No one important. I just… know him. He 'took care of' me when I was a child. Of course, it really wasn't care. It was more of 'sit down, shut up, and deal with the examination' kind of thing."

"I see. Well, let's go over and talk to him."

"No, I really don't want to…" Sephiroth turned and began to walk away.

Sulking for a moment, Kuja turned to the professor and took a deep breath.

"PROFESSOR HOJO! Sephiroth wants to talk to you!" After saying the name again, he thought he had heard Sephiroth introduce himself as 'Sephiroth Hojo'… but he could be wrong. Maybe his mind playing tricks on him again.

Sephiroth froze in place as Professor Hojo sat up and looked at Kuja and Sephiroth.

"My, my, my… My dear Sephiroth has returned! I'm surprised you lasted that long."

Kuja was determined to find out who this professor was to Sephiroth. And, if Sephiroth hated his guts, he would be more than willing to give the guy a few lightning bolts down the throat.

----

**Author's Note:** _Wow, sorry it took so long to update. I've been in a very depressed mood lately, especially with a member of the family whom I live with died. Known him all my life. But ANYWAYS, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm sorta fond of it, but I also think it sucks. So please, tell me your opinions in your reviews! I hope you enjoyed it!_


	14. Jenova's Spell

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Jenova's Spell  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In separate worlds, two men died. They were brought together in the darkness and a friendship began to grow. In an attempt to see an opera, magic is used, and witchcraft is called.  
**Rating:** T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

**Author's Note: **_I usually put these at the end, but I thought you should know early that Kuja and Sephiroth may be very out of character. Mostly Sephiroth, but I swear, there is a reason for it! So bear with me, please? This chapter is supposed to be humorous…! I hope it makes you laugh, or at least smile a bit, at least til the middle. And this is primarily a Sephiroth focused chapter, so enjoy!_

**---**

Sephiroth's body awkwardly turned to face Hojo. They both stared at each other, their eyes stony and emotionless while a few beads of sweat dripped down the sides of Professor Hojo's face.

"Miss Laurabelle, please! The umbrella is not in its proper position!"

Kuja could have swore that Sephiroth nearly fell over at that. A pretty girl with blonde hair and tanned skin, the one in the tight blue bikini, immediately straightened the umbrella so that the shade was covering Hojo's entire body.

"Thank you, Miss."

"So…" Sephiroth's voice had lost its suave tone for just an instant. "What are you doing out here? At a beach? With all of these women? In your _lab coat_, Professor?"

"My! So many questions!" Hojo offered a smirk and crossed his arms over his chest, nodding to himself. "I see the Reunion is complete."

Sephiroth remained silent, waiting for the older man to continue, in which case, Kuja did not.

"What reunion? Father and son?" Kuja guessed. After all, they did have _slightly _similar appearances. It must have been the hair, the way their bangs were shaped. But unexpectedly, Sephiroth and Hojo both turned towards Kuja, glaring with their steely eyes at him as if he had uttered the foulest thing human ears could ever hear.

"Or not." Kuja shook his head and placed his hands on his hips instead. "Well, what kind of a reunion is it?"

But Sephiroth and Hojo would not be insulted so lightly.

"Do I look like this man at all?"

"You're obviously mistaken! This Jenova-Reject happens to be the LAST one here!"

Kuja took a step back, waving his hands in front of himself. "No, no! I didn't mean that! Get a hold of yourselves!"

_What happened to the wonderful smart and mature Sephiroth I had just a few moments ago?_

"Come on, Kuja. Let's go find a hotel or something."

"And do what?" Hojo queried.

"GO TO SLEEP!" Sephiroth replied angrily.

Hojo merely laughed with his hand covering his mouth.

Muttering under his breath, Sephiroth roughly grabbed Kuja by the arm and took him down the path towards what looked like an inn. He had figured out what Hojo had intended to do—cause a scene, and either get him in trouble with authorities, get Kuja in trouble, or simply make him embarrassed.

"What's wrong with you, Sephy?"

"Don't call me 'Sephy', Kuja. I've told you a thousand times not to."

"Psh… You're certainly cheery today."

Sephiroth's eyes softened a moment and his grip on Kuja's arm loosened. The truth was, he hadn't been feeling himself at all since they entered Costa de Sol. The feeling was familiar, like he would lose control at any second.

"I'm sorry, but when I'm around the Professor, I just get so irked." He tilted his head slightly and looked at Kuja. "I just can't stand him, and I would rather be anywhere else than with him."

"Sort of like myself and my Master?"

Letting go of Kuja's arm, Sephiroth merely sighed. "…I guess. Hey…" He placed his hands instead on Kuja's shoulders.

"Uhm… Yes, Seph…iroth?"

"Would you like to go get a glass of wine?"

Kuja's hopes had just been buried ten thousand feet beneath the ocean. "Sure…!"

"Not now, your face is all red anyway. Probably from the heat… How about tomorrow morning?"

"If that's what you want to do, then yes." Kuja stared down at the sand. _Oblivious, oblivious, oblivious. First he goes from being my cool hero to an immature brat to this weird romantic guy! What's up with him today? _"Are you bipolar or schizophrenic by any chance?"

"How'd you know? I was doing my absolute best to hide it!"

"…"

"I was kidding."

"Damn it! You really piss me off!"

Sephiroth chuckled and shook his head. "You've been around me too long, you're starting to talk like me. I thought you were 'too noble' to say such dirty words! Now, come along. We'll see if the inn takes my money."

---

"Well, it seems that your Shin-Ra card has been accepted, Mr. Sephiroth." This made Sephiroth happy. For one, he did not have to mutilate the kind clerk to get a room, and secondly, he was not addressed as Mr. Hojo.

"Now would that be together or separate rooms?"

"Se—" was all that Sephiroth could get out before Kuja elbowed him painfully in the ribs.

"Together, please."

"Ow! You little bastard!"

"It was just a little tap. Besides, you can't leave me alone. You're basically my body guard, and how is a weakling such as myself supposed to fight off the bad guys?"

"We _are _the bad guys. And that wasn't a tap! You're stronger than you look, you dirty little heathen." Sephiroth painfully rubbed his side. "Sorry, Miss. We'll take together, I guess."

Choosing to ignore the strange look that the clerk was giving him, Sephiroth took the key he was offered and walked upstairs to their room.

He pushed open the door and was greeted with a very unpleasant thing. "Oh hell no."

"Well if you don't want to sleep with me you can sleep on the floor like a dog!" Kuja hummed and crossed the room, sitting on the only bed. "Okay?"

"Who said you were getting the bed?"

"I'm more fragile than you are, so shut up and sleep on the floor."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and shoved Kuja off the bed. "It's mine."

Kuja glared from his position on the floor. "Says who?"

Leaning close, Sephiroth smirked his trademark smirk. "Says the big bad meanie who will make you sleep alone in another room if you take the bed."

Weighing the choices in his mind, Kuja decided to slowly stand and brush himself off. "You're not a very good gentleman."

"I don't have to be." Sephiroth hugged the feather-filled pillow to his chest. "You're not a lady, remember?"

"True, but come on, I'm really sore! And I'm frozen!"

"…We're at a beach. It's like…90 degrees. You're not cold. You can't possibly be cold."

"But I don't even feel well!"

Sighing heavily, Sephiroth pressed the back of his cool hand against Kuja's forehead, and was surprised to find it was actually a bit warm. "Looks like going from hot to cold to hot all the time has finally made you sick."

"Wh-What? I'm not _sick_! I _can't _be sick!"

Sephiroth buried his face into the pillow. "Well, you are. It's just a cold and a good night's rest should clear it all up."

"But how am I supposed to sleep well on the floor?"

Sephiroth peered up at him, brows raised at the whininess in Kuja's voice. "You sound so pitiful."

Kuja took Sephiroth's arm and snuggled his feverish forehead against the cooler flesh. "I know! So come on, Sephy, let me have the bed, please?"

Not about to lose completely, but feeling sorry for him, Sephiroth very slowly stood. "Fine. But I'm keeping the pillow."

Kuja bit his lip, but finally nodded. "All right. That works for me."

Within five minutes, Kuja was nestled into two comfortable blankets and a flat, but still quite comfortable pillow. Sephiroth patted him on the head before dragging himself and the feather pillow to the corner of the room by the door. He positioned himself so that if someone were to come in, the door would slam right into his head. Painful, yes, but effective if he wasn't knocked out. It also prevented the all-too curious Kuja from venturing outside to do his 'exploring'.

"Are we all cozy? Kuja? You're asleep already, aren't you?" After ten second of no response, Sephiroth decided to take that as a yes. Or as a being ignored. Whichever, Sephiroth decided to close his eyes and wait for sleep to come.

---

"_Why can't I have my child? Why can't I touch him! Please, at least let me hold him!" She was very pretty, even after two hours of labor and her once silken brown hair now sweaty and resting in damp clumps around her shoulders._

"_It's not your child, woman. It belongs to the almighty Ancient Jenova. It is her child, and it will lead us to the Promised Land."_

"_It will lead us to the Promised Land," came the murmurs of their colleagues._

"_Please! I've carried him for all of this time, I bore him! Hojo, please let me have him! I'll do anything—anything at all…!"_

_Hojo was cradling the infant boy, his mind filled with the wonderful things this super-human baby would be able to do in the future. "I don't have a use for you anymore, and neither does Jenova. Do you know what Jenova will do to you?" Not waiting for her, he continued, "Jenova will never let you die. You will a half-life, unable to live normally—you'll suffer forever because you bore this thing." Hojo turned to the elderly man with slicked back hair._

"_Professor Gast? Take it."_

_The professor silently did so, holding the silent child in his arms. "He hasn't cried at all, so his lungs are probably stilled filled with fluids."_

_Hojo was busy filling out release forms for his wife. "So stick a tube down its throat or something and get it out. Just make sure it doesn't die!"_

"_And what about your wife? Where will she go?"_

"_She can go to the caves for all I care! She'll be this way for the rest of eternity, so don't worry about her."_

"_But Lucrecia can't…"_

---

Sephiroth slowly lifted his face from the depths of his pillow and groggily looked around. The door was on the other side of the room, and he was sitting on the Kuja-less bed. Covering his face with the pillow again, he mulled over the dream.

He didn't particularly remember it… How could he? If that child was him, then how in the world could _he _remember it? Babies don't remember anything!

"It must have been Mother… I wonder what she's trying to show me…?" He blinked. "Kuja? Where did you go?" Nearly falling out of bed, Sephiroth hurriedly put on his boots and ran out the door.

_If I were Kuja, where would I be? Oh hell, no one knows where that guy would be! He could be buying revealing clothes for women for all I know!_

Praying that Kuja really was a cultured individual, Sephiroth chose to visit the library first. After all, it held a vast amount of knowledge that would take Kuja years to siphon through. Of course… Sephiroth didn't remember a library being in Costa de Sol, but he could blame the World of the Dead for all of that.

His bare hands pushed open the double wooden doors to the large library, and as he walked inside, it felt like passing through another dimension. He hadn't been in a library since that day… Since Nibelheim, when SOLDIERs would proudly say sometimes, "And not once did the light in the basement go out."

"I should look quickly…"

The library was so huge, and the temptation to stop and browse the books was overwhelming. But he was a trained SOLDIER, he had to keep his mind focused on his current mission.

"God, I was so stupid," he whispered to himself. "Kuja could levitate right out of the window if he wanted to… I just hope he hasn't been using magic in public."

He walked through the aisles, doing his best to look straight ahead. The option to ask one of the clerks if they had seen a young man with a long silver tail was always available, but Sephiroth doubted that would be wise. He had now idea if those stupid Sages were still looking for him and Kuja or not.

"Where are you… Where are you…"

Sephiroth's breath hitched in his throat as he found himself staring at the bookshelf. "Okay… I really need to get out of here before this place drives me insane." He did not like this déjà vu at all.

Turning to go, Sephiroth's eye caught a black leather book bound with silver buckles. Its spine clearly read: "The Jenova Project".

But Sephiroth had read every book in the Shinra Mansion's library…That book couldn't contain the information he wanted, right?

He stood there and bowed his head, his hair blocking the view of his face entirely. _I don't understand. Was that woman Jenova, or was she someone else…? She could have changed her name… and her appearance could have always changed… But…_

"You know your mother died giving birth to you, Sephiroth." It was a statement, not a question at all.

"Hojo, what do you _want _from me?"

Plucking the book from the shelf, Hojo hugged it to his chest and smiled—it looked sincere, but Sephiroth knew it wasn't.

"Give me that!"

"Shh. This is a library, Sephiroth. We mustn't scream and fuss as if we are an infant."

Sephiroth could do nothing but glare. How he wanted to test the how dying worked in this world… But his sword was gone, and it wouldn't be any fun.

"Give me that book, Hojo."

"Say 'please',"

"Give me the fucking book."

"Ah ah ah." Hojo hugged it tighter. "If you don't be a good boy, you won't get your candy, and I'll have to take it for myself."

"You're pissing me off."

"Oh, am I? All you have to do is say 'please' and Daddy will give you the nice book."

"Stop talking to me that way! I'm an adult!"

Hojo laughed quietly. "Yes! You're thirty-one years old, and you don't even know who your own mother is. You're not even sure who your father is! And you're an adult?"

"That has nothing to do with being mature or not." He reached for the book. "Now give that to me, or I'll take it forcefully."

"Tell me, what will you do if the information you want isn't in here? Will you be sad? Will you cry like a little girl? Tell me, Sephiroth, I really do wish to know."

Sephiroth's blood was boiling hot with rage by now. "Cut it out!"

_Just a little bit more, Sephiroth. Get angry at me…_

"You don't know anything about yourself at all. You don't even know what you think of Kuja! You don't even know where he _is_."

Hojo was right—about not knowing where Kuja was. "I'm sure he's doing something entertaining, unlike yourself."

Hojo was smiling again. "Yes, indeed. In fact… Several people saw 'a young, silver haired man with a tail the color of his hair getting a ticket for an airship to Lindblum'."

Sephiroth's brain nearly stopped functioning at that. His skin felt very icy, and for some reason his chest was heavy, and felt tight…Abandoned…

"You're lying." And now he was in denial.

"Oh, no. Go on, ask any of the visitors here." Hojo smirked again, knowing Sephiroth wouldn't be thinking clearly enough to do so.

"You're lying!"

"Did you really think a failed Cetra like yourself could make a friend like Kuja? You should have known he wouldn't stick with you long! He just used you, like a car, to get to somewhere comfortable." _It was so easy to toy with a confused child's mind…_

"YOU'RE LYING!"

_Especially one that was half under Jenova's spell._

**Author's Note: **_For those of you who have played Final Fantasy VII, you know Hojo's personality pretty well. Dissect, experiment, toy with the mind… All fun and games with the professor! Jenova's spell started to kick in at the Ice Cavern when Sephiroth passed out. In the next chapter, you'll learn more (or you might figure it out on your own) about the certain goal Hojo has. He's going to be a major character from now on, and he has a buddy!_


	15. Convincing Ways

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Convincing Ways  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In separate worlds, two men died. They were brought together in the darkness and a friendship began to grow. In an attempt to see an opera, magic is used, and witchcraft is called.  
**Rating:** T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

"_Hojo, have you found them?" His slim finger pressed the video accept button, and Hojo's face appeared in four of the nine screens._

"_Yes, Sage Shenter. They're in Costa de Sol."_

_Shenter smiled. "Well done, Professor Hojo. I want you to lure Sephiroth away from Kuja. If they're together, they'll probably overpower you and the Sage I'm sending."_

"_Very well. But, if I may ask, how am I to lure Sephiroth away from that Genome? They're attached at the hip, it seems."_

_Shenter's hand crept towards his face to cup it as he thought. "The Sage I'm going to send will bring you the Masamune. Sephiroth adores that sword, doesn't he?"_

_Hojo smiled as well. "Yes… He does."_

"_Don't fail this mission, Hojo. This is your final chance to prove yourself."_

---

"Alright," he spoke softly, dropping his voice. "I'm lying."

"Stop mocking me." Sephiroth's hands curled into fists at his sides, smooth flesh without the leather gloves. "Did you plan this? Did you somehow talk to Kuja before? Tell him about me, the things wrong with me? How I'm a freak?"

Hojo chuckled and shook his head. "I haven't spoke with the boy yet, you needn't be so upset. If you _are _upset though, talk with Kuja. Go after him."

Cocking his head to the side, Sephiroth frowned. "No. If the little bastard wants to leave without me, he can go ahead and leave." He took a breath to steady himself, then turned his gaze back to Hojo. "I don't need him."

"Yes, 'I don't need him. I don't need anyone!' Is that were you going to say?"

"Shut up," he spat.

"Come with me." Hojo beckoned Sephiroth towards him with a white, bony finger, then gestured towards the library's exit. "I have a present for you."

Intrigued, Sephiroth took a cautious step towards him, forgetting for the moment that this dangerous man—this skinny, greasy haired man was the man he hated more than anyone.

No, no, that wasn't right. There was someone else he hated more than Hojo now. He would never forgive Kuja for abandoning him like that. Shaking his head to clear the vexing thoughts, he took another step. "What's the present? My death? Another experiment?"

"Stop being so morbid, Sephiroth." Hojo smiled, a strange, crooked smile, and turned. "Now are you coming or not?" He walked towards the exit, knowing Sephiroth would come. After all, with the syringes full of Jenova's cells, and his Masamune waiting for him outside, how could his body resist?

"Psh, shouldn't it be _Komm mit mich_, or something like that?"

"Bitter, bitter, bitter."

"Shut up, you worthless old man!" He exhaled angrily and stalked after Hojo.

Obediently being the predictable son he knew. Just like a child sitting in front of a pile of candy, unable to resist the urge to eat it, no matter how many times their parents have told them not to. Hojo laughed, tightly hugging his sides as he walked.

Sephiroth followed, rubbing his right hand over his left, deeply missing his black leather gloves. It just didn't feel right to be walking around without them. _Why don't I have them on anyway—Oh…I was worried about Kuja. Stupid… Stupid… WORTHLESS brat…_

"This is Maximilion, one of the Sages." Hojo gestured to the silver haired boy. He was tightly grasping the hilt of the Masamune as if would vanish if he let go, and his deep blue eyes were piercing into Sephiroth's green ones. It almost looked as if he didn't want to be there…

"My sword." Sephiroth tentatively reached out for it, his fingers slightly spread. "Give it to me."

And drawn by Sephiroth's will, the Masamune ripped itself from Max's grip and the hilt shoved itself into Sephiroth's left hand.

"So, it's true," Max smiled. "The Great Sephiroth's sword really does only heed…_you_."

"What did you do to my sword?"

Max shook his head. "Nothing. I was told to bring it here and so I did. The sheathe is there on the ground. Now then, Professor Hojo?"

Sephiroth and Max both turned their gaze on the older man.

"Well…! Sage Max, your job is finished. You may go back."

Max nodded, but didn't move.

"And Sephiroth…You were looking up information on Jenova, correct?"

"Yes… I was." Sephiroth gingerly took the sheathe from the sand and brushed the dust away. In a single, graceful sweep, he slid the gleaming blade of the Masamune into its home and attached it at his waist. The extra weight just made him feel _right_. It made him feel whole to have his sword back again, the only thing he had left.

"If you come with me, I can tell you all you want to know about your mother." Hojo smiled that crooked grin of his. "How does that sound? You can reunite yourself with Mother Dearest and be happy. You can rid yourself of the little brat forever."

"Look, I don't need you talking to me like I'm two! Just…Just take me wherever Jenova is. Give me the information I want, and just leave me alone with her." _I don't know what I'll do alone, but it's better than being with a traitor._

"Good. Come to the airship with me, then." He roughly grabbed Sephiroth's wrist and harshly dragged him along.

Sephiroth didn't object, but he clearly wasn't happy about it.

Max silently watched them go. "…It isn't right. I know Kuja cares… and I know he'll be heartbroken if he finds Sephiroth isn't there."

Going against Shenter's orders was very… Well, no one has ever stayed in the World of the Dead for much longer after that.

---

Kuja stared at all of the choices of fine wines, most of which he had never heard of before. He had to admit that the bottles at least were beautiful—especially the blue ones with an elegant design that Kuja would buy it just to keep the bottle. Red wines and white wines, and even a strange blue colored wine that was high in alcohol. He couldn't very well go back _drunk_.

"They're all so high in alcohol content… I just want a good tasting one." He sighed heavily and rested his chin in his hands. "I never knew that choosing a good bottle of wine would be so hard."

Another sigh as he pulled out the stolen Shin-Ra card. Flipping it over in his hands, he prayed that Sephiroth wouldn't mind. After all, _Sephiroth _suggested that they drink some wine, _Sephiroth _was all that was on his mind, and _Sephiroth _was the one who encouraged him to be even more assertive and to do things bravely, by himself. So it was Sephiroth's fault!

"Well, maybe it isn't Sephiroth's fault… But still, I'm thinking about him while I choose the wine!" Kuja angrily shook his head. "I want some fun too, though. I could not drink and get him drunk. If he does get drunk… I'm probably not a very graceful drunk… I've never even had more than two glasses of wine."

"Sir? Are you ready to choose yet?"

Nearly startling, Kuja turned and looked at the young saleswoman. She couldn't tell that Kuja was Kuja at all because again, Kuja had taken the initiative and dyed his hair black, bought some new clothes and his tail was hidden neatly away. A very different looking person indeed.

"Ah… Yes! I'll take that wine over there… The blue wine in the lovely blue bottle?" He had to act smartly—engage the saleswoman in a delightful conversation so she wouldn't take too much notice of the name. He kept her talking, making sure there wasn't more than a second of silence. She swiped the card while looking at Kuja the entire time.

"I'll need your signature then."

"Uhm…Right! Signature…"

Impending doom. He really felt stupid not knowing how to spell Sephiroth's name. His fingers tightly wrapped around the pen as his brain tried to function properly. 'Seff' didn't sound right, but he wasn't sure if it was 'Seph' either. He closed his eyes, trying to remember that nametag Sephiroth wore on his uniform. "Dammit!" Kuja clamped his mouth shut. "S-Sorry…!" He decided to write sloppily and hoped he spelled the name properly. In the end, he chose 'Sephiroth'. It was pretty, it looked right, and it was accepted.

Kuja quickly grabbed the bag with his wine and hugged it to his chest tightly, sighing heavily in relief. _Dear God! This is scary…I'm never listening to Sephiroth again!_

As he turned to go, he nearly dropped his bags on the floor. One of the Sages was approaching, one he had seen in that palace before, but that wasn't who scared him. It was the blonde boy with those bright, innocent blue eyes and lightly tanned skin that scared him.

_No… Why is he in the World of the Dead? How did he die…?_

---

**Author's Note: **_Most of you should know who the blonde boy is… Considering Kuja knows him. I know this chapter is a bit strange, but I really wanted to update faster than usual! I know that you all wait a month or two before I get off my lazy ass, so I really hoped you like it! Sephiroth's still a bit/very out of character, due to his obsession with Jenova. (For those of you who don't know, Sephiroth's part of the Reunion, and therefore drawn to parts of Jenova, who is in fact dead)._


	16. Blooming Love

**Title:** Happily Ever After  
**Chapter:** Blooming Love  
**Author:** Raserei Hojo  
**Summary:** FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In separate worlds, two men died. They were brought together in the darkness and a friendship began to grow. In an attempt to see an opera, magic is used, and witchcraft is called.  
**Rating:** T  
**Feedback:** Very much so desired!  
**Story Warnings:** Male/Male, shounen-ai  
**Pairings:** Kuja/Sephiroth  
**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

-------------------------------

_Bing._

The double doors to the wine shop swayed open gently. Kuja pressed himself against the damp wall in hopes of blending in with the darkness, praying that the Sage would not notice him. For a moment, it seemed Kuja's plan had worked as Sage Maximilion stood in the middle of the room and looked around, unable to find him.

"I know he's in here…. I can feel his presence."

Kuja took a step sideways, towards the door. _If I can just get through…_

_Bing._

The double doors opened again, but not as graceful as before. It slammed shut a few moments after the other man walked in. "Oh, hey! Laura! How are you doing? Working a double-shift, I see?"

"Hello, Zidane."

Kuja hugged his bag tighter, wishing he could be anywhere but the wine shop. He was torn between the two urges to run from the Sage and talk to his brother. Wanting to know why his brother was in the World of the Dead, he decided to stay and keep himself cloaked in the darkness.

"Are you in line?" Zidane asked sweetly, as if he knew it were fact Max was not in line.

"Erm… No, sorry." Max stepped aside and allowed Zidane to browse the wine behind the counter. He offered another look around the small shop, frowning as his eyes fell upon what appeared to be Kuja.

"…What did you do to your hair?"

"N-Nothing…What do you want with me?"

Max placed his hands on his waist and sighed. "Does being a Sage really give me that bad of a title? I'm here to help you."

Kuja peered around the Sage to make sure that Zidane was not leaving any time soon. "If you're here to help me, then where's Sephiroth?"

"With Professor Hojo."

This time the bag really did fall on the floor. The floor was carpeted, which saved the bottle from breaking and its contents from being spilled. Still, it caused Zidane and the sales clerk to look at him.

"Sorry," he murmured. _I don't like him! What purpose does he have with Sephiroth?_

Max instinctively wrapped his hand around his hourglass necklace. "Kuja, we don't have time for this. Sephiroth thinks you've run off somewhere without him and that you're not coming back. I know you wouldn't, but Professor Hojo has a way of messing with people's minds, especially Sephiroth's."

Kuja knelt down to pick up his bag, feeling the gaze of Zidane on his back. His heart was racing; he didn't know what to do, and was beginning to dread thinking of what would happen if Sephiroth found out he was a thief as well.

"…Kuja? Is that you?"

"…What…are you doing here, Zidane?"

"Kuja, we don't have time for this!"

"But—"

Max squeezed the hourglass on his necklace tightly again, murmuring words under his breath.

"Zidane…?" Kuja stood and blinked down at Zidane, who was completely motionless. He then turned to face Max. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing!" Max quickly waved his hands in the air. "I just stopped time for a bit. You and I are the only one's aware of it, that's all."

Kuja took a shuddery breath and looked at the sales clerk, Laura, and found that she was perfectly still as well. "You…you sound as if you've done this many times before."

"I have, and I was even able to do it in my own world when I was alive. But the spell will last for no longer than ten minutes, so we have to explain the situation to you. Then you may speak with your friend."

Kuja stared for a long moment at Max, not quite trusting him. It was too suspicious for him to just appear out of no where and offer help. Especially to someone who was his enemy. "Why should I believe you? I'm sure that stupid Sage Shenter would punish you if he knew what you were doing."

Max scratched the back of his head, feeling silly. "Yes, I know… But it's my job to make sure you're happy, and you obviously can't be happy without Sephiroth, now can you?"

Lowering his gaze, Kuja stared at the floor. "…I don't think I could be happy if anything ever happened to Sephiroth… I think…"

"You think you love him?" Max bit his lip to stop from smiling as a dark red blush appeared in Kuja's cheeks.

"Well—I mean…" To hear someone else say it to him felt strange. It was a relief though, that he himself wasn't strange or anything. At least, that he wasn't _too _terribly strange. "Maybe…maybe I do."

"Do you?"

"…Yes, I do." Kuja nodded to reaffirm this. "I do."

"But you're not saying it."

"But I know I do!"

Max rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're right, actually. Don't say it now. Tell Sephiroth first, and then you may scream it out to the entire world if you so desire."

"…The entire world?"

"Yes! It will feel better that way! And then we can hold an extravagant wedding, just for you and Sephiroth!"

"Erm… That's a bit much, isn't it? I mean, I was happy with the idea of Sephiroth being with me forever and never leaving my side. I don't exactly want to _marry _the guy. Besides, is that even legal?"

"I could pull a few strings." Max sighed contently, but an image of Sage Shenter, angry as ever, crept into his mind. "Well… we'll see. But as for now…" Max released the hour glass, and Zidane nearly fell forward. "Have a moment with your friend, he looks awfully worried about you, Kuja." With a smile, he turned to involve Laura in conversation.

Zidane peered up at the two. "How did you get over there?"

"With magic," Kuja replied. Forcing an overly happy smile and banishing the thoughts of Sephiroth being hurt somewhere, he walked back to Zidane and knelt in front of him. "Why are you here…? I mean, I knew Queen Garnet was here but…"

"She died in child birth… I guess the depression got to me." He blinked as Kuja suddenly looked as if Zidane was the most immature person alive. "No! I didn't commit suicide or anything! Just… I didn't eat, and I felt worthless. I wasn't healthy enough to take care of my children, and I just got sick, and you know…" He sighed. "I really miss them." Making a motion with his arms, he smiled. "It's been seventeen years though. Even though my children aren't here, I can finally see you again, and damn, do you look lovesick."

"I am not lovesick!"

"Right." Zidane smirked and stood, brushing himself off. "And I'm not a Genome."

Kuja stood up as well. "Then you must be a monkey or something."

"Hey now, you've got a tail too. And what's up with your hair?"

"I dyed it. Disguise, you know. People are looking for me… and Sephiroth."

"Ohh, Sephiroth. That's a pretty name. Is she physically pretty too?"

Kuja couldn't help but apologetically hang and shake his head sadly. "I suppose there is beauty…"

"Well then why'd you shake your head? Are you embarrassed to be in love or something? I mean, it's a completely natural thing, just look at me and Dagger!"

Kuja thought of Queen Garnet and how cruel she was to him while he was in his prison. Definitely not the happy memories that Zidane shared with her. Sure, he probably deserved to be treated that way, but there was no reason to _actually _treat him that way.

"Are you gonna get married and have children?"

"…No. In fact, I don't think it's physically impossible for us to have children."

Zidane forced a one-armed hug onto his elder brother. "Come on, I used to think that way too. Genomes can have kids. At least we, the Angels of Death, can. I dunno what Garland had in mind when he created us, but I'm glad I got to enjoy myself."

"Yes…"

Zidane peered up at Kuja again, and this time he was blushing, looking quite mortified. "Whoa, what's wrong with you? You look kinda…sick."

"Sephiroth…"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Sephiroth's… Sephiroth is a…" He took a deep breath. "Sephiroth's a man!"

Dead silence.

Kuja bowed his head and folded his hands.

"…Oh."

"I have to go… I'm actually looking for him. Some guy named Professor Hojo, whom I believe to be his father, talked some nonsense to him. He could be anywhere, doing anything."

"Well, don't feel bad. Like I said, love is natural. You can't choose who you fall in love with."

Max walked over to Kuja. "…Shall we go then?"

Kuja smiled sadly. "…I'll see you again, right?"

"Yes! I'll come find if you, don't worry. I'm the best thief in this entire world—but don't tell Dagger that." Zidane wrapped both arms around Kuja and gave him a tight, reassuring hug. "Don't go dying on me again. A death here is pretty gruesome. They're rare, but still…"

Kuja nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Zidane watched Kuja go with the Sage, doing his best to ignore the strange feeling creeping down his spine. It felt as though he wouldn't see Kuja again.

---

Sephiroth closed his eyes and leaned against the wooden wall, trying to get his mind off Kuja. But no matter how hard he tried, the image of Kuja, cheerful and offering him a glass of wine was there. Over, and over, and over again. He reached out to embrace the image that wasn't there, sighing as he opened his eyes to stare at the empty room. "…Kuja… What are you doing now?"

The airship gave an unexpected lurch and Sephiroth fell forward. He caught himself on the table, which wasn't lucky for him, considering the table was made of glass. The glass had tore right through his leather glove and into his hand. Muffling a sharp scream of pain, he sat on the floor and cradled his bloody hand.

He briefly wondered if Kuja would have healed his wounds. But since he wasn't around, Sephiroth busied himself with the task of picking out the tiny shards of glass embedded in his hand. "I don't understand…" He held his bleeding hand up to the light, watching the droplets fall to the floor. "…what this feeling is…"

"The ship has now arrived in Terra-Matra. All passengers, please exit through the northern-most door on the airship."

"Hah… Hojo and I are the only passengers on here." Half-heartedly, Sephiroth trudged down the hall to exit from the northern-most (and only) door. Hojo walked out after him.

"Now, your mission is quite simple."

"Mission? What mission? I'm only here to be with my Mother."

"Oh, yes… Jenova… Unless you're speaking of Lucrecia?" Hojo laughed and shook his head. "Never mind, never mind. But we're not just handing Jenova over to you. You've got to do something to earn her."

"Like what?"

"Prove yourself in battle against the other captives. If you win, Jenova will be your prize. And if you lose…"

"I won't lose," Sephiroth said confidently.

Hojo laughed again. "Alright. If a miracle happens, and you do lose… You'll enter the World of Reincarnation. And in order to win, you must kill your opponent."

Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest. "We're all dead to begin with."

"Oh, that's a small matter we can change. See, with the weapon you'll be using, you'll be able to kill. Or we can cast the spell on your Masamune, either way works."

"I'd prefer to fight with my own sword." Sephiroth ran his hand along the smooth hilt reassuringly. "It hasn't let me down yet, and I doubt it ever will."

"Good." Hojo held open the double doors to Terra-Matra's palace. "In you go. Your room is still available, so you'll be resting there. In four days the competition will begin. So rest up."

"…Alright."

Within only two days, however, Sephiroth was nearly insane with boredom. Training didn't help, and he couldn't concentrate on anything but Kuja. Hojo had let him borrow one of Sage Shenter's laptops to browse the internet of the dead, which was linked to the internet of the living.

It was kind of creepy in a way, but it suited him. He browsed the websites, yearning for anything to keep his mind off Kuja. Despite his wishes, he fingers searched up information on him. A picture of Kuja in one of his Kuja-ish poses appeared, along with some general information.

Kuja

Age: 24

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 110lbs

Profile: Kuja (last name unknown) is Gaia's most wanted criminal. Charged with manslaughter and homicide, this man is extremely dangerous. Although he wields no weapons, his magic is what is most dangerous. In his arsenal of magic spells, Kuja knows the Death spell, which is instant death to anyone within five feet from the target. He has destroyed Burmecia, leveled Cleyra entirely (although he was not physically there, he was the cause of it), took out half of Lindblum, and unleashed a powerful summon, Bahamut, onto Alexandria. He was last seen at the Iifa Tree, but his body was not found. He could be dead, but we cannot take chances. If you see this man, please alert the police immediately.

Sephiroth stared at the information for a long while. It seemed bizarre that Kuja really could do so much damage. His eyes were locked on the image though, staring at the digital Kuja as if he was right there. "…I miss you…"

He was sorry he left. But Kuja was the one who left first…right? Hojo was telling the truth… right? Now that he could think about it, he had no reason to trust Hojo. Sephiroth turned off the laptop and shut it.

"I'll fight in this stupid competition, turn down Mother, and then go look for Kuja. Maybe he's looking for me too…" He stared at his hands, wincing as his left hand was covered with tiny scratch marks. "This had better heal soon, how else am I going to fight?"

_Kuja, _he inwardly thought, _you're the most important person in my life. You're physically here, and not even Mother could make me feel the way you do. I think that maybe, I've… Fallen in love with you. _Sephiroth nodded to reassure himself of this. _And when I find you, I'll tell you, and I'll pray to God that you love me back._

_---_

**Author's Note: **_I'm sorry for the long wait for an update! I hope this satisfies you though. I would say that Happily Ever After is about 3/5 over. Maybe I'll make an epilogue… Heheh. I can just imagine how long it would take for me to write THAT up. Anyways, thanks for reading! Please leave a review…!_


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